News

Justice at last for female employees

Published

10 years ago

February 24, 2016

Doreen Goldthorpe: Four years hard work has led to 100 women getting a payout

SOME one hundred female employees and former employees of Pembrokeshire County Council are celebrating this week having successfully pursued a claim for Equal Pay Discrimination against the local authority, which is set to cost the council hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Claimants included hard working care workers, cleaners, dinner ladies and lollipop ladies began their action in 2012, when formal complaints of discrimination to Pembrokeshire County Council were completely rebuffed by the authority’s senior staff.

The ladies however were not to be put off and contacted solicitor Mr Chris Benson of Leigh Day & Co, London, who after considering the matter agreed to take on the case. Leigh Day had previously succeeded in winning a landmark case on Equal Pay in the High Court whilst representing female workers of Birmingham City Council.

An open meeting was held at the Cleddau Bridge Hotel, Pembroke Dock, when more employees who believed they had been discriminated against came forward and following this the case was pursued by Leigh Day which has resulted in this week’s payment to the claimants in an out of court settlement agreed with the council.

The Ladies are extremely grateful to Leigh Day for their diligent approach to the case that has lasted nearly four years, but are less than complimentary to the council who have fought the claim every step of the way, despite other local authorities settling their claims many years ago.

The union UNISON also offered no help to the group, stating in a letter to the women in 2012 that ‘you cannot bring a claim unless you do so within six months of leaving your employment, changing your job, being promoted or your employment transferring to a different employer’.

The landmark case against Birmingham City Council led by the team from Leigh Day at the Supreme Court led to the historic judgement that extended the time limit for claims from six months to six years.

In December 2014 the women were told they were entitled to pay outs but that they were unlikely to receive them before Christmas that year, which caused great unrest amongst the women, as former Chief Executive Bryn Parry-Jones had received a six figure settlement whilst they were still waiting.

Over two years later the claim has finally been settled despite the continuing claims from the council that some women were not entitled to payment as there was ‘no male comparator’ in their job role.

The council had claimed that cooks in charge, cook supervisors and care staff were eligible for pay-outs whilst cleaners, catering assistants, lunchtime supervisors, teaching assistants and school crossing patrols were not. Leigh Day and Co, who gathered information from local unions and other sources to support their claim that every woman was entitled, challenged this. The council also admitted making ‘nominal’ pay-outs to employees in ineligible job roles in order to avoid the legal costs of contesting these claims. With the council now also having to pay the solicitors fees on top of the individual pay outs, the eventual bill is sure to be multiple hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mrs Doreen Goldthorp has led the charge against the council, after she was underpaid in her role as a care worker, she told The Herald: “After four years of fighting Pembrokeshire County Council we have finally come to the close of our claim, in which there are 100 of us waiting to be paid out our cheques from Mr Chris Benson and Ms Sara Rumberg from Leigh Day & Co at their London office.

“Thank you very much to them, and I’m sure all these people when they get their cheques will appreciate what has been achieved.

“I am delighted that something I started four years ago has now resulted in 100 women in similar situations getting their just rewards and receiving their pay out.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic team at Leigh Day, who took on our case when our unions UNISON and GMB said they would not, and when the council said we had no chance.

“We were told by the council at one point to ‘take us on you won’t win anything’ and we have proven them wrong. It is a wonderful day.”

The Herald contacted Pembrokeshire County Council for comment, a spokesperson said: “I understand a settlement has been agreed with just over 100 ex-female employees relating to compensatory payments in lieu of equal pay.

“Initially some of them would not have been liable for a payout as there was only a six month window in which a claim could be made. However a landmark case involving Birmingham City Council in 2012 increased the window for lodging a claim to six years.”

Community

Protest planned outside police station over child safeguarding concerns

Published

54 seconds ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaigners calling for removal of Dyfed-Powys Police chief constable

A PROTEST calling for the removal of Dyfed-Powys Police Chief Constable Dr Richard Lewis is set to take place outside Llanelli Police Station this weekend amid concerns over child safeguarding.

The demonstration, organised through a public Facebook event by Zackery Lee Griffiths, is due to be held on Saturday (May 23) at 11:00am and is expected to last around three hours.

Promotional material for the event describes it as a “predator awareness” protest and claims the chief constable has “failed to safeguard the children of Carmarthenshire.” Organisers are urging people to gather in Llanelli to demand what they describe as “mass action” to better protect children.

The event page states: “The chief constable has allowed our kids to come under huge harm – we are calling for mass action on Saturday as we protest to remove him and protect our kids.”

The protest appears to centre on wider concerns around child protection and policing, although no specific incident or case is referenced in the publicly available event information.

Dyfed-Powys Police has not publicly responded to the planned demonstration.

The Herald has approached Dyfed-Powys Police for comment regarding the allegations being made by organisers and whether senior officers intend to respond to concerns raised by protesters.

Anyone planning to attend is advised to follow police guidance and ensure any demonstration remains peaceful and lawful.

Community

Welsh history brought to life with virtual escape room

Published

5 minutes ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

NEW digital resources aimed at helping pupils explore one of the most significant events in modern Welsh history have been launched by the National Library of Wales.

The Aberystwyth-based library has created a virtual escape room and interactive learning materials focusing on the drowning of the Tryweryn Valley.

The resources, available through the library’s website, are designed to support the Curriculum for Wales and help pupils develop historical knowledge, language skills and literacy.

The first resource, aimed at children aged seven to 11, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the library and its collections through an interactive quiz.

The second, aimed at pupils aged 13 to 15, is a virtual escape room in which learners solve a series of clues linked to the history of Tryweryn.

The project forms part of the National Library’s wider aim to support schools across Wales and comes during the National Year of Reading.

Owain Dafydd, the library’s education and skills manager, said: “It feels very timely during the National Year of Reading to release these new resources that will support language development and literacy skills, as well as sharing the story of one of the most significant events of the 1960s in Wales.

“It demonstrates perfectly how the library’s collections can be used to learn in a creative way and contributes to the aims of the library’s Engagement Strategy — Your Library — to engage with all schools in Wales.”

The virtual escape room was funded by Adnodd and developed with Jengyd, a company specialising in Welsh-language escape rooms. The team includes secondary school teachers, helping to ensure the resource is both educational and engaging.

Items from the National Library’s collections, including photographs, artworks, documents and newspaper reports, feature in the new materials. Creative work by Caryl Lewis and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch has also been included.

Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch said: “I’m delighted that my poem, which examines in a strict syllable count, the experience of being made homeless, is being used as a literacy resource. I would never have dreamt this 20 years ago when I wrote 71,200 Megalitres about this unforgettable part of our history.

“I am very grateful to the National Library for their time and energy in making this happen.”

Adam Lewis, a teacher at Ysgol Plascrug, Aberystwyth, said the materials would help bring Welsh history into the classroom.

He said: “From a teacher’s point of view, the resources expand and enrich the children’s learning, bringing the subjects to life.

“It offers valuable access to schools, bringing the library’s collections directly to them.”

Caption: Children enjoying the new interactive learning resources at the National Library of Wales.

Business

In The Welsh Wind gin in running for world title

Published

11 minutes ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A CEREDIGION distillery is celebrating after one of its gins was named among the best in the world.

In The Welsh Wind Distillery, based near Cardigan, has won gold and the Wales country title at the World Gin Awards 2026 for its Palo Cortado Cask-Aged Gin.

The matured gin has now been shortlisted for World’s Best Matured Gin, placing it in the top five internationally.

The overall winner will be announced at the World Gin Awards Gala Dinner in London on June 2.

The gin, priced at £45, is bottled at 43% ABV and is made by resting the distillery’s Signature Style Gin in Palo Cortado sherry barrels.

The result is described as a layered spirit with notes of almonds, dried stone fruit and wood spice, alongside the warmth of the gin’s botanical profile.

Palo Cortado is one of the rarest styles of sherry, produced in the Jerez region of southern Spain. It sits between Amontillado and Oloroso, combining nutty, oxidative character with a more elegant structure.

Ellen Wakelam, co-founder of In The Welsh Wind, said: “Palo Cortado is not a cask you choose lightly. It’s one of the rarest styles of sherry in the world and it does something quite specific to our Signature Style.

“It pulls out a depth and warmth that the gin already has in it and frames it in a way you wouldn’t expect. We’ve been incredibly proud of this gin since the first batch and to have that recognised at this level, and to be shortlisted for World’s Best, is something we’re genuinely thrilled about.”

The gin has previously won Best Welsh Matured at the World Gin Awards 2022 and received the Master award from The Spirits Business Gin Masters in 2021.

In The Welsh Wind is an independent craft distillery founded by Ellen Wakelam. It produces single malt whisky, blended Welsh malt whisky, gin and vodka, with a focus on Welsh provenance and cask maturation.

Palo Cortado Cask-Aged Gin: The Ceredigion-made gin is in the running to be named the world’s best matured gin.