News

Power Station workers ‘furious’ over unfair Covid-19 payments

Published

6 years ago

June 25, 2020

THE HERALD has been contacted by several employees working on the maintenance outage at the Pembroke Power Station, who are keen to vent their frustrations over what many are calling an unfair Covid-19 payment.

The plant, which is owned and run by RWE, is reportedly making ‘one off’ payments to some employees, while excluding others.

The payment has been described as a ‘bonus to members of staff as a remuneration for working throughout the current Covid-19 pandemic’.

The sum, which is believed to be around an additional £200 per week, will be paid in full on completion of the outage.

However, many employees have been seemingly excluded from the bonus scheme.

All staff who work permanently at the power station and in the maintenance area are employed directly by RWE Generation.

RWE have confirmed they have permanent sub-contractors who work at the power plant, but they are not directly employed by them, but a wholly owned subsidiary called GMOS.

One employee in the GMOS area of the group, who wishes not to be named, told us that the payments are unjust in their distribution.

The Herald understands that certain trades such as cleaning, scaffolding and security are not eligible for the payment.

The source also expressed his dissatisfaction that it seems to be, in the main, contracted employees who are travelling from further afield who are eligible, with mostly local workers missing out on the extra cash.

The Herald contacted RWE to clarify what the scheme was and how they assess eligibility.

A spokesperson said: “RWE is a reputable and responsible employer and does not comment on individuals’ private employment conditions.
“We are engaged in minimal standard maintenance that helps ensure we can continue to provide critical energy supplies to the UK.
“We thank all our employees, contractors and local businesses within Pembrokeshire who are working extremely hard to support us through this difficult time.
“We also thank Pembrokeshire County Council and all other authorities for their continuing support.

When responding to a question as to why only certain employees of RWE were eligible and why sub-contracted companies are also not eligible for the scheme, they said in an email: “If they are contractors, this may be a question for their employers?”

The Herald have also contacted GMB union to see if this a situation they are aware of and if they are working with their members to clarify the situation.

We are awaiting a response.

News

Major incident declared after bus crash in Carmarthenshire

Published

2 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Emergency services at scene as A484 closed near Parc y Bocs

A MAJOR incident has been declared in Kidwelly following a collision involving a bus.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were dealing with the incident on the A484 near the Kidwelly roundabout at Parc y Bocs.

The road has been closed between the Kidwelly roundabout and Llandyfaelog, and motorists are being urged to find alternative routes.

Emergency services are at the scene, and members of the public have been asked to stay away from the area until further notice.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Officers are dealing with a major incident in Kidwelly, following a report of a collision involving a bus on the A484 near the Kidwelly roundabout.

“The road is closed between the Kidwelly roundabout at Parc y Bocs and Llandyfaelog, and motorists are asked to find alternative routes.

“Emergency services are on scene and members of the public are asked to stay away from the area until further notice.”

More information is expected to follow.

Community

New town map unveiled in Fishguard

Published

15 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW town map has been installed in the heart of Fishguard to help residents and visitors discover more of what the area has to offer.

The map, created by Visit Fishguard & Goodwick’s in-house graphic designer, has been placed on the Abergwaun Hotel tunnel, near Offshore Surfwear’s new shop.

The group said it was “incredibly proud” of the finished result and thanked the building owner for allowing the map to be installed on the premises.

Visit Fishguard & Goodwick is now hoping to create a similar map for Goodwick and is asking for help from a centrally located building owner who may be willing to host it.

Anyone who can help, or knows of a suitable location, is being asked to get in touch with Visit Fishguard & Goodwick.

Community

Tenby Summer Spectacular cancelled amid council row over harbour access

Published

21 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Organisers say popular charity events cannot safely go ahead without clear powers to control crowds

TENBY ROUND TABLE has announced that this summer’s Tenby Summer Spectacular events have been cancelled until further notice amid a dispute with Pembrokeshire County Council over crowd control at the harbour.

The events, which were due to take place on Sunday, August 16 and Sunday, August 30, have been a major feature of Tenby’s summer calendar for decades, drawing large crowds to the harbour for entertainment, food, drink and fireworks.

In a statement, Tenby Round Table said the decision had been made “with enormous sadness” and claimed it had been forced on organisers because of unresolved issues over the safe management of pedestrian access.

The organisation said it needed the council’s Public Realm department to use statutory powers to temporarily restrict pedestrian access through the event area when capacity is reached.

Organisers said the matter had first been raised with the council in September 2025 and again formally in writing in May 2026.

They said volunteers had attended meetings, commissioned professional health and safety consultants and worked on Event Management Plans, but claimed the council had still not provided a clear answer.

Tenby Round Table said: “PCC’s Public Realm department has had nine months to answer one question on safe and controlled access to the harbour. It has not done so.”

The group also alleged that recent written responses from the council contained factual inaccuracies and misleading statements about the relevant legislation.

It added that the council’s legal advice was understood to be provisional and still under internal review.

The cancellation is currently described as provisional, with organisers giving the council a final deadline of June 25 to provide what they describe as a clear, accurate and legally grounded answer.

Tenby Round Table said that if this is provided, it will do everything possible to reinstate the events.

The group said the Summer Spectacular had raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities, sports teams, community groups and worthy individuals since it began.

It said the cancellation would be a devastating blow to those who benefit from the funds raised.

The statement added that organisers are still working with Dyfed-Powys Police and other relevant authorities ahead of a council licensing committee meeting in July, which is expected to consider whether the event licence should be renewed, amended or withdrawn.

The Herald has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for comment.