6. Will the Minister make a statement on the outcome of the industrial dispute between PCS and National Museum Wales? OAQ(5)0030(EI)

Yes. I am pleased that this long-running pay dispute has now been resolved and that all national museum sites have reopened to the public.

Thank you, and I’m sure other Members in this Chamber were, like me, very pleased to welcome the resolution of the long-running dispute, and I’m very grateful to you, Cabinet Secretary, for your efforts to bring this dispute to an end. I would also like to pay tribute to all the museum workers who stood their ground on the issue of fairness to the lowest paid, especially the staff in my constituency at Big Pit, for their commitment, and I’m absolutely delighted to see Big Pit up and running again. Cabinet Secretary, will you join me in recognising the dedication of all the staff at the museum, and will you continue to emphasise in your discussions with museum management the necessity of working in partnership with staff when introducing future changes?

Yes, absolutely, and can I first of all put on record my thanks to the local Member for her relentless and her resolute support for the loyal and dedicated workers that she refers to? The outcome of the PCS ballot and resolution of the pay dispute was publicly confirmed on 24 June. I’m pleased that 78 per cent of PCS members voted to accept the enhanced offer made by the national museum. I’m pleased that the Welsh Government was able to assist in bringing it to a satisfactory conclusion.

Now, I am sure that there are lessons that are to be learned from this experience, and I did meet with the national museum’s president and director general recently. I have no doubt that any issues that have been identified will now be taken forward by management at the museum and by PCS, and I am aware that the museum is now working to implement the pay award and compensation payment to eligible individuals in this month’s payroll. I now encourage the national museum and the unions to work to rebuild the bridges that have been damaged and to develop a more positive relationship for the future—one in which all workers have confidence that their concerns are being listened to.

I was involved with the dispute from the start, and what I’d like to ask you, Minister, is whether you think that this could have been resolved sooner had you, as Minister, intervened sooner, to make sure that this wasn’t a two-year dispute? Also, I would like to hear your answer with regard to what management has told me: that continuous in-year cuts did not aid them in the situation with the staff at the museum. Will you commit, therefore, to not putting forward more in-year cuts to services that are now scraping the barrel and are vital in terms of promoting Wales to the outside world? I think it’s key now that you learn, as a Government, and learn with the management how to treat people with respect, because the PCS union went above and beyond what they should have done in this regard.

Can I thank the Member for her question, and just remind her that this Government itself has faced the deepest cuts to its budgets in recent years imaginable? No area of my portfolio has been immune, I’m afraid, from having to make difficult decisions and implement budget cuts, with one exception—the Welsh Books Council, where there was an overwhelming feeling that a reduction in their budget would lead to a significant loss of jobs. The Member may also be interested to know that in Scotland, the dispute went on for more than four years. Here in Wales, the First Minister said that the priority of the incoming Minister would be to resolve this dispute within three weeks. I had it resolved. That’s something that I would like to thank union members for working towards. I’d like to thank Members of all parties in this Chamber for contributing to it. It’s something that I think we can now move on from, and I am sure that the museum has a very bright future. I’ll be considering the Randerson report, which offers a road map towards a very secure and sustainable heritage sector, one that is more closely aligned with the tourism offer across Wales and one that brings together those key elements of our heritage in Wales.

During the recent dispute, the PCS union declared they had no confidence in the management of National Museum Wales. It was also claimed that a survey taken last year showed that 22 per cent of workers had been bullied or harassed at work. Does the Cabinet Secretary have confidence in the management of National Museum Wales, and what action will he take to reconcile both sides around the core aims of this organisation? This sort of thing should never, ever happen again in any organisation of your department. Thank you.

I’d like to say that the Member is absolutely right on this issue. I have been clear with the director general and the president of the museum that the results of that survey must be addressed, and that I expect to see a report on how the issues raised by the workforce are being addressed. I’ve also been clear that the workers at the museum—the people who ensure that visitors have the best experience possible—are better represented at the most senior level. That includes representation at boards of trustee meetings. I think it’s essential that employees are represented and heard and taken notice of.