IN August 2018 I was appointed as the new Unite regional secretary for Wales. 

I am enormously grateful for the opportunities that our union has given me to serve our members. 

I was elated to be elected as shop steward in the Shotton steelworks back in 1996. To be asked to lead our union in Wales 23 years later was for me the culmination of an incredible journey. 

Wales is a proud nation, steeped in the history of trade unionism and socialism. I hope that in the coming years, Unite Wales will play a key role in ensuring that our country continues to stay true to its radical history and continues to be a beacon of hope. A nation that sets an example of what a society based on fairness and equality truly looks like.
 
Since returning to Wales I have witnessed significant change within the Welsh Labour Party. In September 2018, a call for unity was made following the adoption of one member one vote (OMOV). 

Unite proudly supported this new fairer system of electing our Welsh leaders. Unite, overwhelmingly supported by the Welsh Labour membership, was convinced that it was the fairest system we could adopt, to ensure transparency and accountability in all future elections. 
 
The support for this fairer and more democratic electoral system was reflected in the 64 per cent majority in its favour. 

Change had become inevitable and the option to retain the divisive former electoral college system was was roundly rejected. 

The move to OMOV was about ensuring everyone within our movement has a voice, and everyone has an equal say. 

Far from dividing us, it enables us to unite and move forward together with strength and in solidarity. It enables us to continue to win for working people and ensure we deliver on the policy issues that are the most important to ordinary Welsh people, their families and communities.  

OMOV empowers us to build a strong and broad alliance that will deliver future Welsh Labour governments.
 
In contrast to our Welsh Labour, the Tory government in Westminster is doing its very best to deliver untold damage to our country. 

Its devastating austerity agenda, and year-on-year cuts to the Welsh budget have created enormous pressure on our precious Welsh public services. 

Our fight against the Tories received a boost with the election of Mark Drakeford as the new leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister of Wales. 

Drakeford’s experience at the highest levels of government, combined with his strong socialist and trade union principles, are just what our movement requires in these troubling times. 

Drakeford has been at the forefront of supporting Welsh workers’ rights as they have repeatedly come under attack from a hostile Tory administration at Westminster. 

Wales can take great confidence that we have a leader that will defend our trade unions, while also guiding our nation to a path  through the chaos of Brexit. 

In Drakeford we have elected a leader in the radical socialist tradition, who has the ideas and strategy Wales needs in these times of uncertainty and confusion. 

The path leading Wales to a prosperous future is increasingly murky due to the uncertainty of Brexit. The Westminster government’s complete ineptitude and inability to deliver a Brexit deal that can secure a consensus in the House of Commons is having far-reaching consequences — the Tory Party has descended into civil war and all key decision-making has been abandoned. 

Landmark Welsh infrastructure projects that required support, such as Wylfa Newydd and the the Swansea tidal lagoon, have been neglected and abandoned. 

Theresa May says her prime objective is the preservation of the “precious union,” yet Brexit risks the devastation of this forgotten part of the UK. 
 
The grim economic reality facing Wales does not seem to play any part in current Westminster government thinking. Look at the automotive and manufacturing sectors. 

They are the bedrock upon which the Welsh economy is built. Surely Theresa May would think their protection is of the highest priority within the UK government’s Brexit strategy? Of course not! 

Instead we are having to navigate through a significantly difficult period of change and uncertainty, with many employers looking to shrink or even close their existing Welsh operations. 

The automotive sector has been a source of high-quality, well-paid jobs across Wales for decades. Unite wants to ensure this continues for future generations. 

The automotive industry is evolving rapidly. The emergence of electric, internet-connected and driverless technology poses both challenges and opportunities for the sector. 

The investment needed by the Westminster government to help the Welsh and UK automotive sector evolve is not materialising. 

The recent announcement by Ford to undertake large-scale redundancies at its Bridgend plant, combined with the decision by Honda to close its operations in Swindon demand action and government support.  

If this does not come, the Welsh automotive sector, the supply chain and the wider Welsh economy will suffer hugely. We urgently need an industrial strategy to support the automotive sector through his extremely challenging time if we are to protect high quality jobs, and sustain employment levels across Wales.
 
Unite is a strong, fighting-back union and Wales has some of the most skilled workers in Britain within its strong manufacturing sector.  

Despite chronic lack of Westminster government investment, Wales is the fastest growing country in the UK, with economic output rising to £62 billion in 2017. 

We have a vibrant capital city in Cardiff which is thriving and fast becoming a major economic hub on a European level.

The First Minister and Welsh government recognises the importance of trade unions to Welsh life and shares our ambition to grow trade union membership across our nation. 

Uniquely within the UK the trade union movement is recognised by Welsh government as a social partner alongside business.  

The new commitment to enshrine social partnership through Welsh government legislation will put the trade union movement at the core of the Welsh political process for generations to come.
 
However, the only way we can deliver the truly transformational and lasting change that working people so desperately deserve is through strong Labour governments in both Cardiff Bay and Westminster. 

Through Mark Drakeford and Jeremy Corbyn we now have the leaders that can finally deliver on this. Socialism right across our islands is within our grasp.  

If we remain united as a labour movement we have the unique chance to finally deliver this vision of truly equal and transformative society.