I just thought that I should mention the Burberry rally today which I did hope to go to, but couldn't in the end... With good news in Swansea about Amazon, the closure of Burberry is a reminder that manufacturing jobs are still threatened, with more and more companies moving overseas. I worked in the Plaid Rhondda Office with Jill Evans for over a year, and I know that she has supported the campaign wholeheartedly, and worked with the Union in making the campaign a success. I know the area well, and it must be disappointing for Treorci to lose these well needed jobs. It's uncertain whether new industries will open shop in the area, especially as transport links are very poor due to lack of New Labour investment in the road structures. You may argue that there is now a new Rhondda relief road, but that stops at Porth!...
The rally was a success today, and the workers have protested consistently and effectively throughout the campaign. They managed to win some concessions - enhanced redundancy payments, long-service awards, and around £500,000 for workforce re-training.
Protest politics is long from being dead, and if one positive thing can be said from this, it is that the voice of the people shone through in this campaign, and that they made sure that the issue was at the top of the political agenda.
