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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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AM pledges support for civil service job cuts fight
November 24, 2006 6:05 PM
Speaking to a meeting of civil servants in Swansea earlier today, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has pledged his and his party's support to civil service trade union PCS in their fight against proposed job cuts in the Welsh civil service.
In recent weeks announcements have been made of long-term job reductions in the Land Registry in Swansea, and of the projected slashing of 1000 Revenue and Customs jobs over the next five years; with 120 going in Bridgend alone. In all, Wales is looking at the loss of at least 6000 civil service jobs.
"These cuts will impact Wales in three distinct ways," said Mr Black. "First, they will damage the livelihoods of thousands of public servants and their families; secondly, they will diminish the service which is offered to the public; and thirdly, the loss of spending power will affect many communities which already suffer from the scourge of unemployment. This makes no sense, particularly in those areas that have Objective 1 status and where the Labour Assembly Government is supposed to be investing and encouraging employment."
"Arbitrary 'efficiency' targets set by Gordon Brown up in Westminster that result in job losses here in Wales make no sense. Labour government seem happy to oblige people to use impersonal call centres to claim benefits to which they are entitled rather than having a face to face meeting with a trained civil servant; and happy to see customs officers cut around Wales thus making it harder to guard against smugglers and terrorists. There is even a threat to outsource the administration of the New Deal for the Disabled."
"Throughout all this, Labour's First Minister Rhodri Morgan has made no public attempt to defend Wales from these cuts. In fact he promised the Wales TUC, in a speech delivered just six short months ago, that there would be a 'net increase' in the numbers of civil servants. That seems to be an unlikely ambition in the light of recent announcements."
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