10/07/2014 BBC Wales Today

weather. Not a wash-out but stay tuned for the details.

Sometimes you only appreciate the services you receive when they are

not there. Everybody relies on these public sector services.

The walk out caused disruption across the country.

Traffic problems for some, no bin collections for others

I had to lose money because they did not have baby-sitters.

Tonight, we'll be assessing whether today's action is likely

Campaigners fighting to save special care baby services at Withybush

This wind turbine that cost taxpayers ?48,000.

Why the Welsh Government is now taking it down.

An unexpected discovery, the 5,000-year-old tools

shedding new light on life in ancient Wales.

Schools, courts, job centres and council services have all been

disrupted as public sector workers here joined a one-day strike.

Union leaders claim pay freezes leave low paid

So what's been happening across the country?

It's thought around 70,000 workers have been on strike.

More than 900 schools were closed with 215 others

Museums, leisure centres and libraries were shut and all business

And there have been no bin collections in many areas.

In a moment, we'll be looking at how the strike affected you today.

But first, Cemlyn Davies on a day of industrial action across Wales.

Standing side-by-side. Teachers, librarians, civil servant and

council workers voice their anger over pay, pensions and working

conditions. To be honest, it is the last straw. The unions say the

average public sector employee is more than ?2000 worse off. Here in

Swansea, at around 300 people have gathered at Castle Square and their

message is clear enough. People sometimes only appreciate the

services when they are withdrawn. This is our last resort. Publics

services are the glue that holds society together. It is estimated

70,000 public sector workers in Wales took part in today's mass walk

out. Further rallies were held in Cardiff, Carmarthen and Wrexham. A

large number of members work in local schools as cooks and

cleaners. Is it right that they should end up earning less than the

minimum wage? Firefighters have also been taking action. We feel we are

being forced into a corner by this Government. For us, firefighters

working until the age of 60 will put people in danger. We need the

government to come back to the table to negotiate. But the Welsh Local

Government Association said the strike would not change anything and

employees are already being offered the best possible deal in a

challenging economic climate. The UK Government described the day as

irresponsible. It is a strike against the public and a recovering

economy. A lot of people would not have footed in favour of the strike.

They cannot go to work. The strike will end at midnight. The unions

were not rule out further industrial action in the future.

So what has been the impact of today's strike

Caroline Evans has been looking at what's been happening across Wales

With around half our school closed the strike has meant more playtime

for children more pressure for parents, but at this soft play

centre in Wrexham there was a mixed level of support for the action.

It was a bit short notice. I ended up having to take a day off work,

which is a lot of money because they have not got baby-sitters. I have

sympathy for the teachers. They too are fabulous job and I do understand

why they are doing this. level of support for the action.

There was frustration for tourists as the doors of our most national

museum sites remained firmly shut. In Cardiff,

a small notice pinned to the main door was all there was to greet this

coach load of French tourists. Many leisure centres and community

centres across Wales were also shut. People who'd put out rubbish

in Neath found themselves bringing it back in.

no collections today means they'll have to store some of it

for a month, worried about smells and rats John Jones

questioned what it would achieve. These days, that sort of thing

should not happen. It is a negotiation. Years ago, it would

make a difference, it was a different thing was up strikes would

get you somewhere. But not these days. The public service, in

particular, should be provided. questioned what it would achieve.

Despite a picket line, the National Library of Wales in

Aberystwyth did stay open but the same was not true of many libraries

in Wales which remained closed. Motorists too saw

the effect Cardiff's Butetown tunnel was shut down making for slow going

in some parts of the city by rush hour traffic was at a standstill

in some roads around the centre. This evening fire fighters who

walked out at ten this morning remained

on the picket line in Pembroke Dock members of the FBU union are on

strike until 7pm tonight and they plan more strike action next week.

Our parliamentary correspondent David Cornock is at Westminster

David, what's the reaction been there to today's strike?

The Cabinet Office has been trying to manage the strike on behalf of

the government it has been trying to play down the impact of it. It is

pointing out job centres opened and four out of five driving tests took

place. In England, most schools opened and intensive civil servants,

82% turned up for work. The politics are pretty straightforward. Plaid

Cymru assembly members have been addressing those on strike at

rallies. The government 's handling of this has been criticised. The

Shadow Welsh Secretary have supported the strike this week. The

challenge for Labour is if they win the next election, they say they

will stick to coalition spending plans initially. That means they are

not in a position to offer the strikers any more money. Build the

action make a real difference? Ministers here say they do

understand the frustration of people who have gone on strike today. They

say if you work in the public sector, the chances are you'll pay

has gone down, or rather, gone up by more than those in the private

sector that from the start of the recession put up the Conservatives

are saying they may change the law if they win the next election to

introduce a threshold so 50% of union members would have to vote for

a strike before it could happen. If you apply that to assembly elections

or other elections, very few politicians would be elected.

Campaigners have lost their high court fight to stop

services being lost from Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire

A judge has dismissed their legal challenges against

Hywel Dda health board saying he was wholly unconvinced that the

procedure was in any way unlawful. Abigail Neal reports.

Their protests and please could not have been louder but so far, they

failed to hit their mark. Campaigners have been battling on a

couple of France. In Pembrokeshire, hiking plans to close the special

care baby unit and the last of a special care unit. In Llanelli,

against plans to downgrade the accident and emergency unit into a

GP and nurse led unit. A judge ruled both these decisions are lawful. We

are despondent. We are sad regarding the decision. As a group, we must

accept that it has gone through the legal forces and we must move on.

He said the courts were only concerned with the lawfulness of the

decisions and he was wholly unconvinced that any aspect of the

procedure was unfair or unlawful. Campaigners say they may have lost

the legal arguments that they will fight on. This is wrong for the

people of temperature. It is dangerous. I do believe that people

will die on the road between Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen. These

impressions show how the new maternity unit will look when it

opens in August. He has ordered said they hope this judgement followed

its staff and members of the public with the assurance they needed. The

Welsh Government have welcomed this ruling, saying had services here

need to evolve and modernised to meet the changing needs of the

population and to take full advantage of new benefits to

technology. The spokesperson called the judgement and important one for

the future of services here in Wales.

Vulnerable children and young people in the care system across Wales are

still being denied the right to an independent professional

That's according to the Children's Commissioner for Wales, who says

that whilst there has been progress, it's been too patchy, and slow.

The Welsh Government disagrees, and says it's committed to empowering

Tasha Wood has been in the care system for nine years.

When I was younger, I could have done with an advocate to explain

what was going on. I was informed and everything but an advocate would

have explained it to me so I had a deeper understanding also I was a

child at the time. If I had something to say, they could have

got that across the me. Schemes in Wales to help 19-24 year

olds get into work , education or training should be more

closely evaluated to establish what is good value for money according to

the Wales Audit Office . The same report said that they

Welsh Governments projects for 16 - Here's our economics

correspondent Sarah Dickins. Learning to climb. These young

people are on a scheme that aims to take them one stage closer to

employment. They have left school and have yet to find a job. They

have signed up for training. It is important. If children come out of

school without qualifications, you do not have somewhere to go. You

should not give up. The idea is to build social skills and team

working. Employers say it is important in the workplace and will

increase their chances of getting a job. In Cardiff and Newport, we find

the highest proportion of young people who are not in education,

employment or training. Without many of the people in that group between

16 and 19 has fallen, it has increased for the older age group.

It is not necessarily that they are not effective. The current economy

has had an effect. The plans for 16 to 18 euros have better coordination

and targeting and better use of resources. That could be applied to

the older age group as well and that would have more beneficial effect.

Training is not just about climbing. Extra lessons are giving and work

experience is arranged. We try to get them to get into as something

better. They are quite introverted at times and they have a lot of

trust issues. Coming to a centre like this is great to support

workers. We break down the barriers they have. Teenagers and 18 to not

have job-seeker's Allowance but they do get ?30 a week if they join a

training scheme. It takes us off the streets and from committing crimes.

It gives you money as well. The government says recommendations in

the report will be addressed and they will be a full evaluation.

A historic night for Welsh Premier side Aberystwyth

but they have a mountain to climb in the Europa League.

And we find out what life was like in Wales 5,000 years ago.

Last year we told you about the wind turbine on a Welsh

It cost ?48,000 to install, but had been generating an average of just

Our political reporter Paul Martin has the story.

The building behind me was designed to be environmentally friendly. It

has lots of features that help with that. The walls and windows are

designed for maximum natural ventilation. The rainwater gathered

on the roof is used to flush the toilet. The Welsh Government has

similar features in its buildings across the country, including the

turbine in Aberystwyth. But the performance has been poor. The data

last year showed it was generating around 33 kilowatt hours of

electricity per month. In the consumer market, it is worth about

?5. It would take hundreds of years to offset its initial cost. The

government said the reason for the poor performance was mechanical

problems. The company which men affected it said it was the poor

location. Its days are numbered. Yes, they are. Basically, there was

talk of moving the location but in January, it broke down altogether.

The manufacturers a few months later went bust. There is no prospect of

repair or maintenance. The government decided to take it away.

It is frustrating when government and politicians do something to look

green and use a tick box. This is what we have seen here. ?48,000 of

wasted money and the government tried to look green but did not

achieve what they wanted to. As for when the turbine will be removed and

how much it will cost, the government is not able to tell us.

Independent television producers in Wales have welcomed

a proposal by the BBC's Director General to introduce an open market

Lord Hall said he wanted to end a system which ensures that half

of the BBC's programmes are made by BBC production teams.

The move would also allow the BBC to sell programmes to other channels.

We always welcome the opportunity to cede more doors opening for the bits

they will be a wider Tendring process, that is acceptable because

we are not afraid of competition. Football

and Aberystwyth can make history It?s the club's first home match

in the Europa League and they have never won a European

game in their 130-year history. But heavy first leg defeats for

the Seasiders and Bangor City have led many to ask whether the Welsh

Premier League should consider moving to the summer to help clubs

playing in European competitions. Aberystwyth Town aren't lacking in

passion but they are lacking one but they are lacking one thing.

This club has never won a European game. That is our target.

but they are lacking one thing. Manager Ian Hughes

realises it'll be tough. Their opponents Derry City

arrive full of confidence. They thrashed the seasiders 4-0

last week in the first leg. But the League of Ireland Premier

side are 18 games into their season. Their division switched to playing

summer football over a decade ago. Hughes thinks it could be worth

considering if clubs fair better in European competitions.

Although his main focus is securing a win tonight.

If we can get an early goal, the crowd can make it a good atmosphere.

But let us win the game and see where it takes us.

securing a win tonight. Aberystwyth Town is a club rich

in history. defunct Intertoto Cup. A win tonight

would be historic. Chris Hefferan is But this is

the club?s first appearance We had a good racketeer last year.

Football is a funny game. This fan cheered his club to a home win last

season. It is a chance to see a different team and someone from a

different league coming along. The club has made headlines in recent

years. It got national coverage when they sent a tang in cheek to eat too

much is that United after they failed to qualify for a European

competition. football is short lived, it will

live long in the memory of fans. Next season's opening fixtures

for the newly named Guiness Pro 12 The season will begin on September

the fifth and through that weekend. The Scarlets take on Ulster at home,

while the Ospreys host Trevisio. The Cardiff Blues travel to Zebre

and the Dragons go to Connacht. Archaeologists excavating

an iron age hill fort in South Wales It was thought the site in Caerau,

in the West of Cardiff, But artefacts unearthed this week

reveal a settlement that's far older than anyone had thought,

shedding new light on life in Wales If your daily commute takes you

along the A4232 from the M4 to Cardiff Bay, you've probably passed,

without realising it, one of the most important archaeological

sites in South Wales. Above the Caerau housing estate

in Ely stands a hill where you'll find an early medieval church and

the foundations of a Norman castle. But the history of this site

dates back much earlier. These archaeologists are excavating

an area which once housed an Iron Age hillfort in about 700 BC.

Very little expression has been done in these thoughts. We went to know

if they were refugees of whether they were lived in permanently with

lots of people. It is clear from our work that these ports were occupied

for many centuries. Iron Age hillfort in about 700 BC.

This is an artists' impression of how the hillfort would have

looked around 2,500 years ago. It was always thought this site

belonged to the Iron Age period. But history may now

have to be rewritten. These artefacts date back to the

Neolithic period proving there was a community centre here more than 5000

years ago. have to be rewritten.

And that's at least 3,000 years earlier than previously thought.

It means this hill top was likely to have been a significant settlement

as far back as 3,600 BC. This whole site is

a time travellers' dream. Archaeologists have found ornate

jewellery dating back to Roman times, the second century AD,

suggesting this hillfort was populated throughout

our early history. I have been finding parts and animal

bones. Last week, I found a Roman nail from the building.

our early history. Archaeologists will be digging

at this site until the end of the month.

What started as an Iron Age excavation has suddenly become

something a lot bigger and much more exciting.

I bet those archaeologists wouldn't mind this dry spell continuing

It's been a fine day across most of Wales.

Cardiff the hotspot reaching 24C in Usk.

Warmest in the east but where it's been cloudier further

west a bit cooler. 16C at Aberporth in Ceredigion

with a breeze off the sea. A mostly fine evening to come,

though the cloud will continue to thicken.

Maybe a few spots of rain further west but not amounting to much.

Some coastal mist and hill fog, remaining dry for most and mild

at 10-15C. Tomorrow, we're sandwiched

between two weather fronts. This warm front

which has brought rain across the east of the UK weakens as

it moves westwards and this one over Ireland heading in for the weekend.

So tomorrow's largely dry and often bright with sunny spells.

Some thicker cloud developing as both of those weather systems

edge a bit closer. That warm front

from the east bringing humid air could trigger an isolated shower.

But for most, remaining dry with highs between 18C along the west

coast with an on shore breeze, often feeling muggy elsewhere.

23C in Monmouthsire. Any showers should peter

out tomorrow night. Variable cloud with more extensive

mist and fog patches forming especially

along the Pembrokeshire coast. Otherwise dry and mild at 10-15C It

should be fine at first on Saturday, some sunny spells and warm

before cloud and showery rain push in from the west later on

and will begin to move eastwards, remaining humid at 18-21C.

But as these fronts push in later Saturday and into Sunday,

there's a more unsettled Atlantic influence to our weather

and feeling fresher too as we lose that humidity from the continent.

Those showers will clear through early Sunday,

turning into a brighter but breezier day, more in the way

of sunshine by the afternoon. Still warm but a much fresher feel.

So the weekend starts humid with sunshine and showers,

slightly fresher and changeable for the start of next week

but signs of things settling down and turning warmer midweek onwards.

Unions say people have been striking over conditions. Campaigners have

lost their High Court fight to stop services being lost from hospitals

in Pembrokeshire and Llanelli. We'll have a quick update at 8pm

and more after the BBC News at Ten. For now though from all of us on

the programme, have a good evening.