Public sector workers facing the full force of the cost-of-living crisis attended a major rally organised by UNISON in the centre of Cardiff.
Wales TUC general secretary Shavanah Taj, Cynon Valley MP Beth Winter and UNISON Cymru/Wales regional secretary Domininc MacAskill were key speakers at the event which took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Thursday October 6.
The rally followed a heart-breaking survey by UNISON which has revealed hundreds of public sector workers in Wales have pawned possessions to survive while more than 1,000 have gone without meals. Read the full survey data here.
It also came on the day UNISON wrote to Welsh government health minister Eluned Morgan confirming the union’s intention to ballot health workers in Wales on industrial action following the latest derisory pay award.
The ballot of health workers in Wales by UNISON Cymru/Wales will open on Thursday October 27 and close on Friday November 25 at 10am.
UNISON Cymru/Wales regional secretary Dominic MacAskill (pictured above) said: “The very workers who kept our country running throughout the pandemic now face choosing to heat or eat this winter.
“It’s never been more important than it is now for trade unions to unite and stand together. To co-ordinate our legitimate industrial disputes and bring maximum pressure on this parasitic Tory government.
“The next general election could be sooner than we think. And millions of people are relying on us to get the Tories out of Westminster.”
