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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Labour look to the past by kow-towing to the unions.
November 8, 2006 8:26 AM
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, Peter Black, has hit out at a new Labour policy initiative that seeks to direct public money to the Welsh Trade Unions under the cloak of modernisation and improving workplace working.
Mr. Black was commenting on manifesto proposals being discussed at a special Labour Conference this weekend. These include a significant increase in funding for the Wales Trade Union Learning Fund and the creation of a Wales Trade Union Modernisation Fund, allowing unions to build a sustainable role for themselves in a modern setting. The party say that they are trying to meet the needs of workers but Mr. Black believes that the proposals amount instead to a bung for their trade union supporters.
"If this is a foretaste of Labour's manifesto, then it seems clear they are intent on looking after their own," he said.
"Improving the skills of the nation is a priority, but offering sweeteners to the unions which support Labour while consistently underfunding further and higher education in Wales seems a strange way of doing it. The modernisation fund in particular appears to be an elaborate way of giving public money to Labour's paymasters and much more clarity is needed as to how it will benefit the Welsh economy."
"Labour's priority is repaying their massive debts with a policy bung for their union backers, rather than investing in a better Wales."
"Labour's record in the current Assembly is all about putting their party interest before the interests of Wales. We saw it over the Richard Commission and the proposals for devolution, we are seeing it again in these proposals."
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