Aberystwyth. PHOTO: Alun Williams
Ceredigion Against the Cuts staged a successful rally in Aberystwyth on 7 May. Led by the local samba band, some 250 people marched through the town to a rally at the castle. Newly-elected assembly member Elin Jones was one of the speakers, alongside members of the PCS and Unison trade unions who had organised the rally together.
Other speakers included Huw Diprose from Aber Students Against the Cuts, Bethan Williams from Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans and Sian Wiblin, Wales TUC president. Mark Ferguson from Unison Scotland revealed that whatever was under his kilt, he was convinced it must put David Cameron and Nick Clegg to shame!
There are over 10,000 public sector workers in Ceredigion, 40% of the workforce. Doug Jones, one of the organisers of the march and the campaign, blogged that: “Ceredigion Against The Cuts is a community-based campaign group. We represent a broad cross-section of Ceredigion public sector workers, students and community activists….
“[We] are trying to build the broadest coalition possible to take practical action to defend our public services and the broader community from the impact of these cuts – which will have a particularly detrimental effect on a rural Welsh-speaking community such as Ceredigion as young people are forced to move away to find work.”
