by David Nicholson in Llandudno

DELEGATES at Welsh Labour conference over the weekend approved motions covering the climate emergency, setting up a national care service for Wales and an integrated transport system.

GMB Wales’s Maxine Butler set out a labour movement agenda for decarbonisation.

“These solutions have been developed by the members — the people who know their jobs better than anyone,” she said.

“There are more orders for renewables components than ever, but they are being placed offshore to the lowest bidder, often produced by sweated labour — and even forced labour.

“This is not environmentalism. It is not a workers’ agenda, it is unbridled exploitation, red in tooth and claw.”

Unison Cymru’s Jane Gebbie supported the Welsh government’s plans for a national care service for Wales and welcomed Labour’s commitment to ensure all workers in the care sector are paid the living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation.

But she said that “unless our national care system is going to pay more than a supermarket and actually value them for the work they undertake, it is going to fail before we begin.

“I fail to see how private companies could save us all money and earn a profit,” she said. 

“The model of funding social care has changed little since the inception of the welfare state and we are in desperate need of a system overhaul.”

Dan Masrani from Aslef spoke about the need for an integrated transport system in Wales.

He said: “This is the first Welsh Labour conference where I can proudly say that our Wales & Borders rail franchise is back where it belongs, in public ownership.

“Public ownership is good for people and good for the economy.

“Moving goods by rail produces far less carbon emissions than the equivalent road journey.

“I am proud to be a train driver and represent the drivers who play their part in the green revolution.”