Assembly Diary

Congratulations to all the Burberry workers on a magnificent demonstration on Friday in defence of their jobs. The demonstration was organised by the GMB which represents the bulk of the workers in the factory, though there are some Amicus members there as well. Chris Bryant MP and I are working closely with the unions.

It is essential that the Burberry workers, through their unions, are in charge of this campaign. It is the unions who have to do the difficult work of negotiating with the company and it is right therefore that they should dictate the pace and tactics of the campaign. Posters and stickers in support of the workforce are available from the GMB and it would be good to see these displayed all over the Rhondda. My office also has some and they can be obtained from us on 682550.

One of the key messages we have to get across to Burberry’s global management is that they will be shooting themselves in the foot if they move jobs out of Britain to the far east. Burberry prides itself on being a British brand – indeed, it is one of only a handful of British brands recognised as being in the top 100 world brands. You can only be a British brand if you make your goods in Britain and keep manufacturing jobs here. No-one believes that if Treorchy goes, the Yorkshire factories will stay long-term. ….

I voted last week in the Assembly in support of protecting hospital facilities locally. I made my submission in support of keeping the Royal Glamorgan with a full range of services in the summer, and thank you to all those who have written in support of my campaign. I will continue to keep the pressure up on the Hospital Trust and Local Health Board. …

The 2007 Rhondda Calendar is starting to appear in the shops. I think it looks better than ever. In response to a request, we have put the price on the back this year rather than the front. Copies will be sent out to the successful photographers shortly. …

Well done to pupils at Tonypandy Community College for their work in producing a crime prevention DVD. The Chief Constable seemed impressed when she saw it last week at the school!