Plaid Cymru blasts Tory war on Welsh workers

PLAID Cymru has responded to Tory “hastily backtracked” plans to cut wages for public sector workers outside of London, saying the u-turn is “fooling no-one.”

The plans were outlined by Conservative leader front runner, Liz Truss, detailing how she intended to slash wages for public sector workers outside of the south east of England.

Ms Truss claimed the move would achieve a saving of £11bn and if enacted, could cut a huge amount of the funding of Welsh services via the Barnett consequentials.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP said that the plans would have amounted  to an outright attack on Welsh workers and questions whether another U-turn is possible in the near future, given the “off the cuff” style shown to date.

Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“The whole Tory leadership contest has been a scramble to the right-wing extremism. Both candidates have taken every opportunity to prove how far removed they are from the needs of people, especially in Wales.

“People suffering under the cost of living, front line workers in Wales like nurses and teachers, will look at the Tory race to the bottom and see that they are worth less to the Tories than workers in other parts of the UK.

“The hastily scrapped Tory plan to tear-up the hard-fought worker rights is fooling no-one. That they can openly declare war on the public sector one second, and backtrack the next reveals their true lack of support for these workers. They have thrown any pretence of levelling up to the winds, and these off the cuff plans would have thrown the Welsh public sector into chaos due to the Barnett consequentials – and still might if they backtrack again.

“By their actions, the Tories continue to make the case for independence, while we in Plaid Cymru will always defend the rights of workers in Wales.

“As we have shown in the recent and continuing strikes, Plaid Cymru stand with our front line workers, and we will continue to fight unequivocally for their rights.”