ASW Justice at long last
It has certainly been a long time coming but it looks as if at long last justice has been done. In no small measure this has succeeded because the ASW pensioners have been determined and impressively persistent. When others may have been tempted to give in John Benson and others have demonstrated in their quietly dogged way that there would be neither compromise nor climb-down.
Even a few weeks ago this settlement looked unlikely. ASW workers lobbied Westminster and Cardiff Bay. I spoke to the protestors as did others from my group. Not a single Labour AM appeared to speak to the ASW lobby — nobody from Plaid Cymru either.
Then in the debate on the Queen’s Speech in the National Assembly I raised the matter with Peter Hain and he did seem sympathetic which surprised me slightly.
And so here we are. It has taken five years. There has been a considerable amount of hardship and too much delay and we must make sure the money gets out quickly but that said — this is good news at last.
