“LET’S have a joined-up day of action and call it a general strike,” Unite Wales secretary Andy Richards told Cardiff Morning Star supporters on Thursday night.

Mr Richards highlighted to the inaugural Cardiff readers and supporters meeting how the mainstream media had failed to report on trade unions’ massive July 10 day of action.

“The Morning Star is the one paper that will tell the truth,” he declared.

PCS Wales secretary Shavanh Taj dismissed Francis Maude’s claim that only a fifth of the union had backed the July 10 walkout, insisting that it was the most successful action since November 2011.

“Last Thursday was just the start, let’s keep up the momentum,” she urged.

“We need unions talking to each other about action so that we can expand our coalition to put more pressure on the government.”

Ms Taj spoke out for a change of government, while opposing the prospect of Ed Balls continuing the Conservative coalition cuts for at least a year.

“We need an immediate change of policy,” she said.

FBU Wales secretary Cerith Griffith reported that he had come directly from one of his union’s picket lines — part of ongoing protests over pension plans.

Firefighters are holding a week of two two-hour strikes a day, 6-8am and 5-7pm, “so I couldn’t have spoken before 7pm as I was officially on strike,” clarified Mr Griffith.

He gave details of some cuts imposed by chief fire officers, calling them “laughable, ludicrous but also downright dangerous for the public and firefighters.”