Mutiny aboard HMS Senedd

Posted on March 10th, 2008 filed in Politics, Welsh Assembly

Arg! There be a grand, grand mutiny aboard HMS Senedd this week …

Six Plaid Assembly Members have refused to accept the ‘pieces of eight’ 8.3% above-inflation pay rise awarded to Assembly Members via an independent panel.

The 6 Plaid AMs represent nearly half of Plaid Cymru’s 15 assembly members. They are : Chris Frank, Alun Ffred Jones, Leanne Wood, Nerys Evans, Bethan Jenkins and Dai Lloyd.

Whilst Ieuan Wyn Jones’ Plaid Cymru has prioritised the whingeing campaign to put a Welsh dragon on car number plates for the past week, the thinking person’s Plaid Cymru has been campaigning on serious issues affecting working people. And that of course includes pay awards in a time of rapidly rising prices.

Bethan Jenkins, representing the South West Wales region constituency for the Assembly, explains the Assembly Pay Award Mutiny in her Blog thus : “At a time when public sector workers have to accept below inflation pay rises, I find it inappropriate for us to be awarded. It is somewhat unjustifiable.

… If we are to debate police pay, and public sector pay at the Assembly on a regular basis, then I really do not believe that we can be making grand standing statements without reflecting that in our own lives also.

In the current climate of the tightening of budgets, I can’t see how we will win any support as an Institution.”

Well said… and well done to those Assembly Members who have acted thoughtfully.