Peter Lazenby
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TRADE unionists are due to demand “fair funding for Wales” at a picket of the British government’s Wales Office in Cardiff tomorrow ahead of this week’s Autumn Statement.
The protest, led by the Wales TUC, comes as tens of thousands of public-sector workers in the country ballot on strike action over pay.
Wales TUC general secretary Shavanah Taj said: “Wales simply can’t afford austerity 2.0.
“The UK government has to step up and recognise that more than a decade of underfunding and underinvestment in Wales has been a disaster. Welsh workers deserve better.”
The Welsh government makes decisions on pay levels for the country’s public sector but is dependent on the British government for funding.
Wales TUC says that it has been consistently underfunded for 12 years.
It says the problem has been compounded by the failure to give Wales a promised allocation of £5 billion for the much-hyped HS2 rail project.
Wales TUC said that the Welsh government estimates that as a result of inflation, the current financial settlement from Westminster is worth £4bn less than when it was initially announced.
Research from Wales TUC has revealed that in some areas one in four people have skipped meals due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Half the population say that they’ve cut back on spending on food and heating.
The protest was aimed at Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and his autumn statement next week.
Wales TUC wants a minimum £15 wage for all workers, and an increase in universal credit — on which more than 110,000 people in Wales depend — in line with inflation.
