WORKER LEAVES ROLE AFTER APARTHEID CLAIM
SENIOR AMBULANCE MAN LEAVES POST:
A SENIOR employee at the Welsh Ambulance Service has left his role after comparing the treatment of non-welsh speakers to “apartheid”.
James Moore was disciplined after making the comparison on Facebook in response to a story about plans to introduce more Welsh-medium education in schools.
According to Nation.cymru, Carmarthenshire Council was preparing to consult on proposals to introduce changes to Model Church in Wales School in Carmarthen and Ysgol y Felin in Llanelli which would have seen them introducing more Welsh medium-education from September 2022.
But the council later scrapped the consultation with Model school following a backlash from staff and teaching unions.
In response, Mr Moore, who lives in Llansteffan, said on Facebook: “The English language is the single most important export from the UK and gives us all a huge advantage in the world.
“Anything that undermines this in the cause of meeting nationalist zealotry harms us all.
“Just imagine if you changed the word English to ‘black’ or (historically in South Africa) ‘coloured.’.. perhaps non-welsh speakers should use different buses? Maybe different drinking fountains?
“As was the case in South Africa where the whites were a small minority, is it time for the 80% non-welsh speakers to stand up to the oppressors to stop the ongoing apartheid?!”
He added: “Bilingualism is great in many parts of the world; however, narrow mindedness, insularity and petty nationalism (which seems to be entirely linked to the Welsh language) opens your mind only to yourself. . . leaving Wales trailing even further behind in an increasingly global world.”
When the disciplinary process was launched a Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We are aware of illjudged and inflammatory comments by a member of our staff who until recently had been on secondment to Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) for 18 months.
“We neither condone nor support these comments, which fly in the face of our commitment to the Welsh language and our role as the national ambulance service of Wales. The appropriate action has been initiated in line with the NHS Wales disciplinary policy.”
When he made the comments Mr Moore was responsible for organisational design and development at Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). However, he left that post on February 28 following “internal discussions” with his former employer.
He returned to his employment with the Welsh Ambulance Service, which announced that it was launching “disciplinary” action.
While the Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed that he is no longer an employee with the NHS trust it refused to confirm whether he had been sacked or not.
Claire Vaughan, executive director of workforce and organisational development at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We do not comment on internal processes that involve individuals. However, I can confirm that James Moore is no longer an employee of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust.”
The Carmarthen Journal has contacted Mr Moore for comment.