Bethan Jenkins AC/AM South Wales West

Bethan Jenkins AM has welcomed the news that Ford has returned to the black, but with one proviso – it should now properly pay the pensions that it owes to former Visteon workers.

The car giant has just posted pre-tax operating profits of $1.1 billion (around £665m), its first for nearly two years. However, pension holders – including 700 in Swansea – believe they could lose up to half their entitlements after their company Visteon, a car parts business spun out of Ford in 2000, went bust earlier this year and an application was made to enter it into the Pension Protection Fund.

Plaid’s Bethan Jenkins said:

“Well done, Ford. This shows that the car industry can find its way back to profitability. Now that it has, it should meet its obligations. Top of the list should be the £140 million shortfall in the Visteon pension fund, which will now cost an extra £100 million to fully fund.

“Visteon thankfully sold its Swansea operation to Linemar only months before Visteon collapsed. But that’s no good to 700 former staff who worked hard and saved assiduously and now face losing half their pension income. It is difficult to imagine how tough that could be for those involved.

“The Visteon Pension Action Group is taking Ford to court to compel it to comply with safeguards it made at the time Visteon was established. Of course, Ford could sort this tomorrow with the profits it has just posted.”

Visteon’s history
• Visteon, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, was spun out of Ford in 2000. By 2004, it employed 70,000 staff at over 200 sites in 27 countries around the world, including the UK, and turned over $18.7 billion in sales.

• In 2005, Visteon offloaded 17 unprofitable plants and six offices. In 2006, Visteon delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after its share price dropped to two cents.

• On March 31 this year, the company’s UK operation went into administration with debts of £669m. Some 560 staff at plants in Enfield, Belfast and Basildon were given less than an hour’s notice of the redundancies.

• Those workers then occupied their factories, claiming that they had been given guarantees on pay and conditions when Visteon separated from Ford. Several weeks of protest led to assurances from both Ford and Visteon that severance packages would be improved.

• However, shortly afterwards, the Visteon UK Pension Fund had entered the assessment period for the Pension Protection Fund.

• The PPF had been established by the Government following a long campaign involving Cardiff steel workers and Welsh politicians, after the collapse of Allied Steel and Wire in 2002 left those workers without pensions.

• However, the 3,000 ex-employees of Visteon UK – including 700 in Swansea and workers who have been paying into a Ford pension fund for up to 40 years – have since discovered that they may receive less than half of what they are owed if they are paid through the PPF.

• The Visteon Pension Action Group is now planning to take Ford to court, claiming it was promised safeguards for the fund when Visteon was spun off. It also argues that the PPF may well be unsustainable in the long run. The pensions regulator is also examining the group’s claims.

Bethan Jenkins AM has secured a promise of free training of online banking for HSBC customers following the news that the bank is to close two local branches in the South Wales West region.

The pledge came during a meeting between Ms Jenkins, the Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, and a regional manager for HSBC, called following the announcement of branch closures in Kenfig Hill outside Bridgend, this Friday (November 6), and Cymer in the Afan Valley, on December 11.

Despite being asked by Miss Jenkins if the bank would reconsider, HSBC said the decision had been taken on business grounds, as no new accounts have been opened at either branches for a year.

Plaid’s Bethan Jenkins said:

“I’m very disappointed that the self-termed ‘world’s local bank’ has taken this step purely out of financial considerations. I recognise that as a business HSBC has to turn a profit, but I believe that it also has social responsibilities, too, particularly when providing a service outside of big towns.

“What HSBC was able to assure me was that any customer who needs to learn how to bank online can visit any one of HSBC’s local branches and receive training free of charge. It’s not what I nor constituents would have wanted, but it provides something for customers who would rather not take a minimum six-mile round trip to the nearest branch.

“In addition, now that I have established a dialogue with HSBC, I am asking any customer at these two branches to get in contact with me if they have any concerns, and the bank has assured me that it will do all it can in dealing with those concerns. So please get in touch and I shall make sure that HSBC hears about your concerns.”

Bethan Jenkins AM spoke at some length this afternoon during the Assembly’s debate on the Broadcasting Sub-Committee’s report into the future of ewspapers in Wales. Here’s what she said:

I’d like to thank the committee for all its hard work in exhaustively inquiring into the state of local Welsh newspapers in an attempt to find some relief for this extremely hard-press sector.

However, I have a couple of issues I’d like to raise. It is obvious that the sub-committee remain concerned about retaining both a proper news service to the public by retaining experienced journalists here in Wales. Yet I believe that the recommendations in this report would bring relief instead to a number of commercial organisations whose abiding business practice of the past decade has involved taking profits out of Wales while at the same time continually putting skilled workers on the dole.

As such, I no longer believe that these organisations can be regarded as responsible partners in any solution that the Assembly is considering. Quite simply, they have had their chance, choosing profit over research and development into how they might provide a quality news service in a post-newspaper world.

At the pace with which newspapers are closing, it is possible that they may cease to be widely consumed. We cannot stop this. No legislature can, and I don’t think we should spend our time trying to consider a King Canute-like solution.

What concerns me more is that there may come a time when newspapers have largely ceased to exist but online news has failed to fill the hole they have left, particularly in their role as a facet of a properly functioning democracy.

As a consequence, I believe it is far more important to concentrate on how we may develop both broadband provision, and news and other services that can be delivered online. The recommendation that there should be a review publicly-funded journalism training courses points the way forward. But it should be a starting point, a place where we can look at how we support and propagate this knowledge industry, and how we create first mover’s advantage for truly indigenous, entrepreneurial new media organisations.

Of course, there are large numbers of people in Wales who either do not have access to broadband services or choose not to use them. That is their choice, although I believe the Assembly has a duty, firstly, to ensure that telecommunications companies are delivering broadband provision to as many people in Wales.

But, secondly, I believe we have a responsibility to educate people both in its uses and in its benefits. The world is moving away from traditional media, and I believe it is more important that we make sure that everyone in Wales keeps apace with the sometimes breathtaking speed of technological development, rather than look over our shoulders at a sector that is fast heading into history. If we are truly serious about a knowledge economy, we must do our best to ensure that everyone in Wales, no matter what their age or background takes full advantage.

Wales is a land of small businesses and entrepreneurs. Why can’t we give them the opportunity to introduce genuine innovation into the news industry? Large businesses simply do not have the agility to take real advantage of technological advances – we’ve often seen this in their preference for playing catch-up through acquisition.

If we find ways of assisting entrepreneurs to work with journalists in providing new models for news delivery, I believe Wales can lead in developing a unique and possibly lucrative information industry.

We need to stop thinking about helping news organisations. We need to start thinking about retaining experienced workers with media skills. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to think in an innovative way and help others in shaping a truly Welsh media free from the ravages of London-based profiteers. It is essential that we grasp this opportunity now.

Mae AC Plaid Bethan Jenkins wedi dweud ei bod yn gobeithio fod y paratoadau ar gyfer deddfwriaeth newydd ar yr iaith Gymraeg yn gallu dechrau. Roedd Ms Jenkins yn siarad mewn dadl yn y Cynulliad ar ddrafft y GCD ar yr Iaith Gymraeg. Dywedodd y byddai’r pwerau newydd yn galluogi Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau newidiadau ac i ddelifro ei haddewidion. Mae Plaid wedi bod yn galw am drosglwyddo pwerau dros yr iaith ers tipyn o amser ac fe ddywedodd Ms Jenkins mae dyma oedd y datblygiad diweddaraf yn yr ymgyrch. Cynigiodd ei fod yn trosglwyddo cymaint o bwerau a phosib ar hyn o bryd ond fod yr ymgyrch i drosglwyddo’r holl bwerau i Gymru yn parhau.

Yn ystod y ddadl yn y Senedd ar y GCD, beirniadodd Bethan Jenkins AS y pleidiau yn Llundain am geisio gwanhau ‘r pwerau. Galwodd ar Aelodau Cynulliad Torïaidd i bellhau eu hunain oddi wrth eu partneriaid yn San Steffan sydd wedi ymrwymo i rwystro’r trosglwyddiad pŵer.

Meddai Bethan Jenkins AC Plaid:

“Pan ffurfiodd y Blaid lywodraeth, roeddem wedi ymrwymo i ennill statws swyddogol i’r Iaith Gymraeg, hawliau ieithyddol pan yn derbyn gwasanaeth a chomisiynydd i warchod yr hawliau yma. Mae’r ddeddfwriaeth yma yn ein caniatáu i gyflawni hyn oll yn ogystal â nifer o’n haddewidion maniffesto. Dyma’r cam diweddaraf mewn ymgyrch hir ac mae Plaid am ddal ati i sicrhau’r holl bwerau dros yr iaith yn dychwelyd i Gymru.”

“Mae’r cyfnod eithriadol o hir y mae wedi cymryd i sicrhau’r pwerau yma i Gymru yn tanlinellu pa mor annigonol yw’r system eLCO. Dwi’n methu a deall pam y mae Aelodau Seneddol San Steffan mor awyddus i rwystro a mygu ymdrechion Llywodraeth etholedig, ddemocrataidd Cymru. Pam er enghraifft oedd rhaid i’r ddeddfwriaeth fynd trwy ffosil o gorff deddfwriaethol fel yr Uwch-Bwyllgor Cymreig? Er, fe gawsom gip ar y ffosil-feddylfryd sydd gan rhai aelodau Torïaidd sy’n gwneud eu gorau i rwystro’r cynlluniau yma. Yn arbennig Cheryl Gillan sydd – heb ei ethol gan bobl Cymru – wedi galw ar gyfreithiau Cymru i gael eu fetio gan San Steffan yn y dyfodol, cyn cael eu pasio. Mae’n amlwg nad oes ganddi unrhyw ddealltwriaeth o ddatganoli o gwbl! Os hoffent ein perswadio eu bod o blaid yr iaith, mae angen i’r Torïaid yma yn y Cynulliad gondemnio’u partneriaid yn San Steffan sy’n codi bwganod.”

PLAID Cymru AM Bethan Jenkins has voiced her hopes that the countdown to important new legislation over the Welsh language can now begin.

Ms Jenkins was speaking during a debate in the National Assembly on the draft Legislative Competence Order (LCO) on the Welsh language. She said that new powers over the Welsh language will enable the Welsh government to deliver on its commitments and make change happen. Plaid has long campaigned for powers over the language to be brought home to Wales and Ms Jenkins hailed this legislation as the latest development in that campaign. She argued that it delivers as many powers as possible to Wales at this current time but vowed to continue to campaign for all powers to be brought back to Wales.

During the Senedd debate on the Language LCO, Bethan Jenkins criticised MPs from the London-based parties for trying to water down the powers. She called on Tory Assembly Members to distance themselves from their Westminster colleagues who she said have been doing their best to scupper the transfer of powers.

Ms Jenkins said: “When Plaid went into government we committed to getting official status for the Welsh language, linguistic rights when receiving services, and a language commissioner to protect people’s linguistic rights. This legislation would enable us to do all of the above, delivering several of our manifesto commitments. This is the latest step in a long campaign and Plaid will continue to fight to get all powers over the language back home in Wales.

“The inordinate amount of time that it is taking to get these powers brought to Wales just goes to show just how inadequate the LCO system is. It is beyond me why Westminster MPs should be able to stifle and strangle the efforts of the democratically elected Welsh government. I was at a loss to understand why, for example, the legislation had to go to a 19th century fossil of a legislative body like the Welsh Grand Committee.

“It did give us an insight into the 19th century mindset of Tory MPs who seem to be doing their level best to scupper these plans. Especially that of Cheryl Gillan who – unelected by the people of Wales – called for future Welsh laws to be vetted by Westminster before being passed. She clearly has no understanding of devolution at all. The Tories here in the Assembly need to condemn the scaremongering of their London colleagues if their attempts to appear pro-devolution and pro-language are to have any credibility at all.”