Today, hundreds of people met at Central Square in Cardiff for the latest ‘Solidarity with the Strike’ TUC rally – attracting leaders, speakers and members from Cardiff UCU, Prospect Union, UNISON Wales, PSS Union and NEU Union – all under the Welsh TUC umbrella organisation.

The press release for the event read: ‘Let’s send a clear message to Rishi Sunak – workers in Wales need fair pay and Wales needs fair funding now!’

Over 300 union members gathered outside the newly opened UK Government Hub at half 11, led by speaker Shavanah Taj, who serves as General Secretary for the TUC in Wales. 70,000 union members across the UK will be striking in the coming weeks, with almost all industries affected. 

It was a specially chosen day, to coincide with Jeremy Hunt’s 2023 Budget announcement. One point that Hunt made, which has already led to much discussion across social media, is that the UK will “not enter” into a recession this year. He also announced an additional £11 billion in funds towards the defence budget over the next five years. 

Mariam Kamish, Secretary for Caerphilly Trades Council – wasn’t convinced: 

Rhianydd Williams, the Equality and Policy Officer for the Welsh TUC and Amarjite Singh, Organising and Development Officer for the Welsh TUC spoke to TheDiffDaff to explain why they – and so many others – were striking: 

Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer has since said that the budget was putting the Britain “on a path of managed decline.”

“It is a case of simply dressing up stagnation as stability.”