Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

A PROTEST was organised yesterday by a cross section of care workers from the care homes that are being earmarked for closure by the Labour cabinet at Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. The Labour cabinet, quite simply, wants to create three super care homes in the area.

There has been much opposition to the plans. The fact that a ‘business option’ ( as quoted from the Cabinet’s very own consultation document) is being considered is a step too far for many local people, staff and residents, who see this as privatisation, plain and simple.

Questions over transportation to the new homes, the location of the new homes, and the future of staff have not been sufficiently answered, and people are angry that the Labour cabinet has gone out to consultation on a ‘preferred option’, as opposed to leaving the consultation stage wide open for new ideas. Anyway, the point of this blog post is this – at the protest today, people were asking for Plaid stickers to wear, and stating that they would not be voting Labour due to their actions on the council of late in pushing forward the plans above, as well as announcing the prospect of 750 job cuts in the public sector in the borough.

One of the care home staff who was organising the demo stated that a Labour party representative had promised to be present, but it was clear that they had not turned up. And so they decided to take the matter in to their own hands, and took the residents of the care homes and their supporters directly to Peter Hain’s office to seek some answers.

The fact that Labour and Peter Hain continuously fail to turn up to such events and support local people is insulting. It’s as if they are taking the people of the area for granted. But, things are starting to change and people are realising that Labour are letting them down. Certainly, I had this impression from Councillor Arwyn Woolcock, who recently stepped down as Deputy Leader of the Council in Neath Port Talbot in protest over a cabinet decision to close his local school, Ysgol y Glyn, in Lower Brynaman. He did not have a positive word to say about the Labour-run council. All I have to say to him is – why are you therefore still a member of that party?

The campaign is stepping up a gear in the area and Plaid, are active canvassing the area day and night. We are talking to people, and meeting them on their own terms while Labour seem to be too ashamed to show their faces.

IF YOU are like me, and believe that there is very little difference between the Lib Dems, Labour and the Tories, then all you need to do is read the following.

It seems the Lib dems are seeking to play out their ‘anti politics’ strategy following Clegg’s comments on those tv debates, but today’s Times shows that the party does not practice what it preaches.

It appears that the Lib Dems have received £3.5m in donations from non-doms to fund their election campaign, with a substantial amount of this money coming from a Scottish businessman, Michael Brown, who is currently on the run after being sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud. If anyone saw Menzies Campbell on Question Time last week, it seems that they don’t have a problem with accepting money from fraudsters despite protestations from Brown’s victims  that they should do the right thing in not accepting the money.

Bhanu Choudhrie, 32, an Indian-born entrepreneur, and his father Sudhir, have also given more than £700,000 to the party in recent years, and a six-figure sum in the past few days. This wouldn’t matter so much if the Lib Dems did not try and be holier than thou on this issue, with Clegg announcing that it was ‘wholly wrong’ for political parties to take money from non doms in the context of the discussion on donations from Lord Ashcroft to the Conservatives recently.

We all know that the Labour party accepts donations from non doms – look at Mittall who topped this year’s rich list for the 6th year in a row. Many of these rich people are switching to domiciled status due to political pressures, but this form of electioneering should not be acceptable or lawful anyway. It does not serve the London parties to make a massive fuss of this because they benefit from such donations, when party funding appears to be waning (and if trade unions had any sense, they too should take a long, hard look at why they still fund the Labour party when they are cutting public services).

This system could have been cleaned up long ago, but it wasn’t, because most of them are at it. New legislation in this field won’t come in until after the election- read this article for the cynical details. So when people tell you that the Lib Dems offer an alternative, please take a second to think of the above.

In other news it is good to hear that the SNP are taking action against the BBC for failing to include the party in the televised debates. They aim to raise £500,000 as a fighting fund to take this legal fight forward. Obviously there is a different legal system here in Wales. I would like to see us take such legal action too, but in the meantime we are still pursuing our complaint with Ofcom about Plaid’s lack of input on these televised debates. Certainly, I will be supporting the SNP’s campaign, and watching the progress of it. There is also talk of a non payment of TV licensing campaign. Watch this space.

THE second of three televised Welsh leaders’ debates took place last night. This one was aired on ITV Wales from the Coal Exchange, with Sky having also chosen Cardiff as its preferred location.

Of couse, you expect me to say that Plaid Cymru should be part of the leaders debates alongside Clegg, Cameron and Brown, especially on the BBC. I am a license fee payer like most other people, and believe that as a party of government here in Wales we should be on the platform alongside Alex Salmond.

It’s simply not true to say that we are minor parties when the SNP leads a government in Scotland and we are in coalition here in Cardiff Bay. When discussing domestic issues especially, Plaid Cymru need to show what we are doing in government, and what we will do should we form a government in the future. It is the right of the people of Wales to have this information.

But of course the Wales debates are a welcome development, and Twitter went mad last night with updates from the event. It annoys me how some members of Unionist parties have chosen to dismiss these debates, or to undermine them as the Tory blogger Iain Dale has done so on Twitter. It only goes to show that Wales is not their priority. Nick Bourne must also be very annoyed that a shadow Secretary of State who represents Buckinghamshire has been on the Wales debates instead of him. And Carwyn Jones? Well, he seems to have been completely sidelined from the whole process. Who the spin doctors are I don’t know, but I can tell you that I’m pleased Hain is there!

Ieuan has performed consistently well on all of the debates, and has shown clearly how our policies differ to other parties, and that we are rooted in the communities we represent. No, we won’t form the next UK government, but if there is a hung parliament, then the people of Wales know that we will fight their corner, and seek to protect Wales from large scale cuts. The other parties undermine Wales by merely treating us as another ‘region’ of the UK. Our concern is that we care for the people who live and work in Wales who face being short changed by a future UK government.

It’s clear that the leaders debates are having an impact on how voters think, and that at the very least, it is encouraging more discussion on politics on the doorsteps, and on the streets. In what were once staunch Labour areas ( and they would tell you so when you knocked their doors!), we are finding that people are much more undecided, and that we need to devote more time explaining policies and encouraging people to think outside the box. This is all good news for democracy, considering that the Labour party has taken voters for granted in Valleys communities for far too long.

I’m looking forward to the next Wales debate, and hope that it will be able to cover more policy areas. It was pleasing also to have a gender balance on the Wales debates, regardless of political persuasion, and a chance for people to see what Plaid Cymru will offer as an alternative to the UK parties.

AS YOU might expect, I have been out on the campaign trail with various Plaid Cymru candidates in the South Wales West Region. Undoubtedly, there are very local issues that people are passionate about, and that we hope Plaid are addressing on certain levels – be it on a local council or National Assembly level. But one thing that is common is the frustration that many people have shown towards the Labour party, and how it no longer represents their values.

This often comes from former members, or as I have experienced recently, some current Labour party members, although they don’t wish to identify themselves in case – and I quote – the “Labour party mafia” finds out. What sort of a party can Labour now be if its members feel that they cannot criticise it for fear that someone will have a go at them, or make a point of targeting them?

Many people we met actually wanted to take a Plaid poster, but felt reluctant to do so as they told us that in recent years, when they had done so, they had been intimidated. If this is true, then it is a very sad state of affairs when people can’t feel free to express their own political opinion openly.

I’m all in favour of fighting against other political parties during an election, but I want this to be done so fairly. If people are fed up of Labour, Plaid, the Lib Dems or the Tories, then they should be able to say so.

Yes, people on the doorstep are annoyed with the MPs’ expenses scandal. But once you get talking to them, and inform them that there are politicians out there doing it for the right reasons, who want to change thing s for the better, then you can sense them warming to you, or at least considering the fact that there is a reason to vote.

We can introduce all the exciting policies we want, but unless people trust us, have faith in us, then the policies become secondary. Getting past the first boundary that people put up just because you are a politician is a challenge in itself, and a challenge we will all face until the system is cleaned up for good.

I am looking forward to the campaigning, to getting out there speaking to people. I do this on a regular basis anyway through my surgeries and street surgeries, but during election time, it is clear that the electorate are looking for people that can reflect their opinions, their voices, as opposed to taking them for granted as Labour in the Neath area has done over the years. Of course I hope that people support Plaid Cymru in this General election, but even if people just get out there and vote, I will be content.

Deary, deary me! Ex public school boy and self styled class warrior Peter Hain is at it again, putting his name to inaccurate leaflets making tabloid accusations. As a Plaid AM representing the Neath area, it fills me with optimism. Labour must be getting desperate.

Hain berates Plaid for separatism in the leaflet, yet there are fewer MPs more removed, or shall we say “separated” from their constituents than Peter Hain.

I have worked very closely with the former Visteon workers in the fight for their pensions, and yet Hain has not had the time or even the political sense to attend a single meeting. I joined the Visteon campaigners on their journey to London to lobby MPs. Despite many of the ex workers going to Hain’s surgery to ask him to attend, there was no sign of him. I for one was proud to stand with and support the former Visteon workers.

Sending a message of support to the demonstrators is hardly adequate, and cut no ice with the workers. If Hain had turned up, it would have been interesting to see the ‘welcome’ he may have encountered: we will never know now. How convenient for him….

The former Visteon workers are in good company. Look at how the Allied Steel and Wire workers in Cardiff were let down by what they thought was their government. Compare the difference between the bankers and these workers: What Labour choose to prioritise shows what is in the DNA of their party. What is the difference between them and the Tories in this UK election fight?

The stench of hypocrisy around New Labour MPs at election time is more than nauseating. Hain claims credit for compensation to miners, but fails to mention the shameful action of his government in fighting sick men through the courts to deny them compensation. The miners got their well deserved compensation despite, not because of the government. Similarly, RMT signal workers are not even allowed to legally go on strike after a ballot due to New Labour’s refusal to repeal anti trade union legislation.

Labour’s record on privatisation is dire. Locally they are proposing to privatise the care homes in Neath Port Talbot. What is a ‘business concern’ if it is not privatisation, as outlined in the consultation document? How the trade union’s can stomach this agenda is beyond me, let alone continue to bankroll a tired Labour party that no longer represents their values and beliefs.

Hain holds Ieuan Wyn Jones responsible for the Welsh economy, and where we do have the powers over the economy, Plaid in Government has shown that we can be different- introduce new, creative policies. Hain knows we don’t have all the tools to do the job in Wales, but the sooner we do, the better- for the confidence of our Nation and for future generations.

In finishing, I will condemn Peter Hain by his own voting record. See below for what this former political good guy now stands for:

• Voted very strongly for replacing Trident.
• Voted very strongly for introducing ID cards.
• Has never voted on a transparent Parliament.
• Voted very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals.
• Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.
• Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.
• Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.

Visteon protesters in Parliament Square, opposite the Palace of Westminster

I GOT up very early on Wednesday to take a bus to Parliament Square in Westminster with ex-Visteon workers who are campaigning to receive their full pension rights from Ford. Thanks to Billy King for the lift from Pontardawe (I was treated like a VIP the whole time, apart from the banter with the bus driver…).

The long and short of it is that in 2000, when Ford transferred its employees to Visteon, it guaranteed mirrored terms and conditions, lifetime protection, and protected pension rights. The reality is that these commitments haven’t been honoured by Ford, that the pensioners are facing reductions in pensions by up to 50% if their fund goes in to the Pension Protection Fund scheme, creating considerable financial hardship as a result.

I’ve attended most of the packed public meetings in Swansea on this issue, but joining the ex-workers on the London demo was an opportunity to get to talk to individuals about what these changes will mean for their lives. Some tell me they may have to sell their houses, others want to move away to get away from it all, some are feeling the strain mentally, while others have suffered physical ill health over the worry that their pensions will be so severely cut. As Emma Denholm, the South Wales Evening Post reporter who joined us on the demo said in her article today, despite the severity of the situation, there is a tremendous sense of camaraderie amongst the former Visteon workers. They are supportive of each other, devoting hours on end to running the campaign. What astounds me is how former workers from the Basildon plant travel to Swansea for every meeting to give those present an update on the UK wide situation. That is what I call dedication. One ex-worker I met on the demo from Enfield said that he is looking for new work but the campaign has taken over his life.

The pensioners and ex-workers have appreciated the help I have tried to give them from the outset, and have been open and friendly. Travelling down to London, however, I felt immensely frustrated that the Welsh Government could not do more to help them. This area isn’t devolved to the National Assembly for Wales, but I have sought to raise the matter with UK Ministers, the Secretary of State, Unite’s Welsh Convener Andy Richards (although I’m still awaiting a response), and I have met with a representative of the PPF.

Now we are waiting for Unite, the union, to declare on April 14th whether or not it will take out legal action against Ford for failing to provide the guarantees that it promised when so many staff transferred to Visteon, only for it to go bust, and for Ford to seek to wash its hands of the Swansea Visteon workers, and those in plants over the UK and the North of Ireland.

Bethan addresses Visteon pensioners outside Unite's headquarters in Holburn

I’ve attended many demonstrations, but this one will have a lasting affect, as I know how urgent the situation is. Its vital that Unite takes legal action against Ford to support their members, so that these pensioners can at long last enjoy the retirement that they deserve after 40 years of work. If Ford gets away with this, could this not set a precedent for the future? Other companies will think that setting up spin-off companies, allowing them to fail, and denying pension obligations will be acceptable. This issue cannot be used as a blue print for company management. Ford won an ethical award this week. The irony wasn’t lost on me, either.

Angela Smith MP, who put forward the Early day Motion at Westminster spoke at the demo, but it was sad to see how few MPs came. Yes, many sent emails of apology and support, but their presence even for five minutes would have been much appreciated. Gerry Adams was hosting an event at Stormont for former Belfast Visteon workers and sent a message of support, as did Tony Benn. Peter Hain wasn’t there again but he made sure that the Union Convener in London communicated that.

Yet the speeches from former workers in their uniform Ford ‘fraud’ caps and t-shirts were strong, and made up for the lack of political representation. All were adamant that the campaign carries on and that pressure must be kept on Ford. Some of the pensioners are political and are members of political parties, but others are new to having to lobby Ministers. Even the ones that were members of political parties felt constrained by the fact that when they were union conveners they had the power to change working conditions and salaries. Now they cannot control the situation, and are reliant on others to a large extent to take the battle forward.

What struck me was that Ford are fighting this, yet most pensioners I talked to drive a Ford car. They still have vouchers for discounts on the car. If they are no longer associated with Ford, how do they receive this support? Even if they didn’t receive the vouchers,  I can bet you they’d still get a Ford car.  There was an immense tension between the ex-workers being proud to have worked for For, supporting the manufacturing industry in Wales, and the anger that they currently feel towards Ford for failing to appreciate this dedication, or understand why the pensioners are aggrieved at the way they have been treated.

One of the Swansea pensioners sums up what could happen if Ford win

Incidentally, I was emailed from 10 Downing Street petitions system today regarding the petition by the Visteon Pension Action group. Here is the Government’s response below. The long and short of it is this, at the bottom of the petitions which states, ‘The Government trusts the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund to complete their assessments to the highest possible standard and understands you will be informed of their findings in due course’. Make of that what you will.

………………………………………………

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to ensure that Ford Motor Co; honours its pensions commitment to its former employees.”

Details of Petition:

“In June 2000 Ford Motor Company spun off a new company staffed by its own Ford employees. This new company was called Visteon UK Limited. The transferred employees were Guaranteed mirrored terms and conditions for life, including Pensions. In March 2009 Visteon UK Limited went into administration, leaving an underfunded Pension scheme; not before they had created another Visteon Company in which to transfer certain staff/managers (which is still trading today), leaving all the bad debts and pensioners behind. The Visteon UK pension scheme is now being investigated by the Pensions Regulator and despite support from the Pension Protection Fund, some former Visteon employees are facing cuts in their pensions by more than 40%. There is great concern for any enforced financial loss to members and their families of the pension scheme, who had received this lifetime guarantee in terms and conditions. We call for the government to ensure that Ford Motor Co honours its commitment to its former employees, thereby avoiding entry into the Pension Protection Fund. Visteon Pension Action Group.”

Read the Government’s response
The Government has great sympathy for the members of the Visteon pension scheme.

Protecting the benefits of members of occupational pension schemes remains a fundamental part of our pension policy.

Under the Pensions Act 2004, the Government established an improved regime to protect pension scheme members’ benefits. This included the creation of the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) as independent bodies that operate at arms length from the Government.

The Pensions Regulator has a number of powers it may use in pursuit of its objectives, including measures to address the risk of “anti-avoidance”, where an employer may deliberately manipulate their affairs so as to try and shift their pension liabilities to the PPF. The Regulator has the ability to intervene and consider use of its Contribution Notice and Financial Support Direction powers in such circumstances, although these powers operate within a legal framework and there are certain tests that must be satisfied in order to justify the use of these powers. In order to assess whether the use of its powers are appropriate, the Regulator needs to gather and scrutinise information to enable an accurate view to be formed.

The Pensions Regulator is looking into the circumstances leading up to the administration of Visteon, and the impact on the pension scheme, and is currently working with a number of different sources to progress its enquiries. The Regulator has to carefully consider all the available evidence in order to assess whether there are grounds for regulatory intervention. Due to the volume and nature of the information, this process is expected to take some months.

The PPF was established to pay compensation to members of eligible defined benefit pension schemes when there is a qualifying insolvency event in relation to the sponsoring employer and where there are insufficient assets in the pension scheme to provide PPF levels of compensation. Those scheme members can therefore be reassured that they will still receive a meaningful income in place of the pension they have contributed to during their working life.

Let's hope Downing Street is listening

Following the insolvency of the sponsor employer, Visteon (UK) Ltd, on 31 March 2009, the company pension scheme entered a PPF assessment period. An assessment period lasts for a minimum of one year. During the assessment period, the scheme trustees retain responsibility for the day-to-day running of the scheme and for paying benefits to members.

The purpose of the PPF assessment period is to consider if the scheme can be rescued and also if the scheme can afford to secure benefits which are at least equal to the level of PPF compensation. If neither of these outcomes is achieved, the scheme will transfer to the PPF and the scheme members will receive compensation.

In general, the PPF pays 90% compensation subject to an overall cap (currently £28,742.69 at age 65) or 100% compensation if individuals are over normal scheme pension age when the insolvency occurs, or have taken ill-health retirement. Compensation is based on the scheme’s admissible rules. Payments made during the assessment period must be the lower of the PPF level of benefits or the amount originally payable under the scheme’s rules.

The Government trusts the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund to complete their assessments to the highest possible standard and understands you will be informed of their findings in due course.