Almost one in three children in Wales live in poverty. Even before the Coronavirus pandemic, the EHRC estimated that UK Government tax and welfare reforms would push a further 50,000 children into poverty.
This has happened on Welsh Labour’s watch. The Welsh Government’s recent Child Poverty Strategy sets out an action plan which boils down to little more than advice, raising awareness of existing inadequate programs, and improving takeup of free school meals for those who are eligible. Keyword: “eligible” - free school meals are mostly restricted to children of parents earning less than £7,400 a year. Shamefully, every Labour Member of the Senedd present voted against widening access.
Advice and awareness is all well and good, but no amount of advice on welfare benefits, the best energy deals, benefits of a smart meter, or begging for a slice of the discretionary assistance fund, will address the root issues: low pay, housing costs, and the shameful way this country treats unemployed people, ill and disabled people, and unpaid carers.
After twenty years of Welsh Labour "managing" capitalism and capitulating to Tory cuts from London, we need a real Socialist strategy for eliminating poverty in Wales.
Workers, socialists, and trade unionists, including Socialist Party Wales, are standing together in the Welsh Parliament elections as part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC). TUSC candidates believe that the Welsh Parliament should be leading a fight today for the resources we need in society, for universal free school meals, a mass council house building programme, rent controls, pay rises, and more.
Promoted by Dave Warren, TUSC Wales secretary, on behalf of TUSC Wales, 29 Tir Y Farchnad, Gowerton SA4 3GS
No comments:
Post a Comment