A parking company is taking on the entire Welsh language – by dragging a guy to court over it

Language campaigner Toni Schiavone will face a third trial on Friday 26 January for refusing to pay an English-only parking charge notice.

Dismissing the Welsh language

According to campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith, translating the notice, and avoiding the three court cases over a period of three and a half years, would have cost between £60 and £70.

Schiavone received the original notice in September 2020 for not paying for parking in a car park in Llangrannog, Wales. Although the court case has already been thrown out twice, parking company One Parking Solution is once again appealing over the notice. The company failed to be present for the first case and the second case was thrown out of court as it was introduced late and under the wrong conditions.

Speaking ahead of his trial, Schiavone said:

If One Parking Solution provided me with a Welsh copy of the notice as many other parking companies already do, I would be fully prepared to pay it. Instead, they insist on taking me to court again and again to try to force me to pay the notice in English.

According to the company, since I understand English, they don’t need to respect my right to use my own language in my own country. It is utterly offensive.

An ‘absurd’ situation

Cai Phillips, deputy chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Welsh Language Rights Group, said:

The company’s attitude is absurd. We have been informed by several translation companies that the cost of translating the original charge into Welsh would be roughly between £60 and £70. However, instead of doing this and respecting Mr Schiavone’s right, One Parking Solution has insisted on going to court for the third time and paying all the costly legal fees entailed in doing so.

This dispute reflects the wider failures of the 2011 Welsh Language Measure to guarantee the rights of Welsh speakers in the private sector. Recently, HSBC customers lost the ability to call their bank through the medium of the language. On Saturday Aberystwyth Post Office was picketed because of an anti-Welsh attitude and the lack of Welsh services.

Since we started our campaign to refuse payment of English-only parking notices, individuals all over Wales have taken up the call and are in similar situations to Toni. It is key that we continue to press to strengthen the 2011 Welsh Language Measure.

Welsh version

Bydd yr ymgyrchydd iaith Toni Schiavone yn wynebu trydedd achos llys ddydd Gwener 26 Ionawr oherwydd iddo wrthod talu rhybudd parcio uniaith Saesneg.

Yn ôl Cymdeithas yr Iaith byddai cyfieithu’r rhybudd, ac osgoi tair achos llys dros gyfnod o dair blynedd a hanner, wedi costio rhwng £60 a £70.

Derbyniodd Schiavone y rhybudd gwreiddiol ym Medi 2020 am beidio talu am barcio mewn maes parcio yn Llangrannog. Er i’r achos llys gael ei thaflu allan ddwywaith yn barod, mae cwmni parcio One Parking Solution unwaith eto’n apelio. Methodd y cwmni fod yn bresennol ar gyfer yr achos cyntaf a thaflwyd yr ail achos o’r llys gan y cyflwynwyd yn hwyr ac o dan yr amodau anghywir.

Yn siarad o flaen ei achos llys, dywedodd Schiavone:

Pe bai One Parking Solution yn darparu copi Cymraeg o’r rhybudd i mi fel mae llawer o gwmnïau parcio eraill eisoes yn gwneud, bydden i’n gwbl barod i’w dalu. Yn lle hynny, maen nhw’n mynnu mynd â fi i’r llys dro ar ôl tro i drio fy ngorfodi i dalu’r rhybudd yn Saesneg.

Yn ôl y cwmni, gan fy mod yn deall Saesneg, does dim angen iddyn nhw barchu fy hawl i ddefnyddio fy iaith fy hun yn fy ngwlad fy hun. Mae’n gwbl sarhaus.

Dywedodd Cai Phillips, Is-gadeirydd Grŵp Hawl Cymdeithas yr Iaith:

Mae agwedd y cwmni yn gwbl hurt. Rydym ni wedi cael gwybod gan sawl cwmni cyfieithu y byddai cost cyfieithu’r rhybudd gwreiddiol i’r Gymraeg rhwng tua £60 a £70. Ond, yn lle gwneud hyn a pharchu hawl Mr Schiavone, mae One Parking Solution wedi mynnu mynd i’r llys am y trydydd tro gan dalu’r holl ffioedd cyfreithiol costus yn y broses.

Mae’r anghydfod yma’n yn adlewyrchu methiannau ehangach Mesur Iaith 2011 i warantu hawliau siaradwyr Cymraeg yn y sector breifat. Yn ddiweddar, fe gollodd cwsmeriaid HSBC y gallu i ffonio eu banc trwy gyfrwng yr iaith. Ddydd Sadwrn roedd rhai yn picedu Swyddfa Bost Aberystwyth oherwydd agwedd wrth-Gymraeg a diffyg gwasanaeth Cymraeg yno.

Ers i ni ddechrau ein hymgyrch i beidio talu rhybuddion parcio uniaith Saesneg, mae unigolion ar hyd a lled Cymru wedi gwrthod talu ac mewn sefyllfaoedd tebyg i Toni. Mae’n allweddol ein bod yn parhau i bwyso i gryfhau Mesur Iaith 2011 ei hun yn ogystal a’i weithrediad.

Featured image via Cymdeithas yr Iaith