Welfare and Employment
As an Assembly Member I have been involved in numerous campaigns with regards to benefits structures and welfare reform. As a member of the cross party PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union) I have been involved in campaigns against the closure of tax offices in Wales, against regional pay in the civil service, and of the retention of Job Centre offices throughout Wales. Supporting such campaigns are vital due to the fact that I am eager to ensure that we retain jobs in Wales, for the people of Wales, and that those who work in the public sector are supported. I met with Ieuan Wyn Jones the Deputy First Minister to discuss such issues, and a bulletin by the PCS on the work that I have done with the Union can be found here.
I have also shadowed the work a Welfare Rights worker in Neath Port Talbot to encourage the take up of Disability Living Allowance in the area and in the South Wales West region, and I am involved in a campaign alongsider RNIB Cymru ( Royal National Institute for the Blind) in encouraging Councils to take up their welfare rights scheme so that those who are blind or partially sighted are able to claim the benefits that they are entitled to.
I work with other Unions, such as Unison and Unite when they have striked against regional pay and when they have lobbied for more wages for those in the public sector.
I also sit on the Equal Opportunities Committee at the National Assembly where we have carried out reviews on equal pay structures and the rights of migrant workers in the workplace.
PCS picket / piced PCS
