Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement this afternoon. I agree with you that unions do play an important role in the workplace, especially in righting wrongs that workers might face. They have, over many years, improved working conditions across the United Kingdom. But the issue for many people is the politicisation of many of those unions and, in particular, the detachment of what the general secretaries of many of those unions are seeking to achieve in the political arena from the workers who have historically signed up to be members of those unions. I do find it somewhat galling to hear the Cabinet Secretary say that the UK Government do not have a mandate. This was part of the manifesto of 2015 that was endorsed by the British people, and, when the Cabinet Secretary talks about the social model here in Wales, I’m only now reading about the strike that is going to be taking place in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg health board, where the Unison organiser there says,

Hospital sterilisation staff don’t feel the health board is listening to them or properly understands the work they undertake.’

This is a statement. [Interruption.] I’d love to take the intervention, but, sorry, I can’t. It goes on to say that staff feel as if they’ve just walked in off the street.

Just before Christmas, we were dealing with a strike in the national museums, which the Welsh Government were particularly slow at dealing with. Many of us will remember that, when you were the health Minister here in Wales, the BMA had the temerity to point out the troubles that were facing the health service in September 2014, and they were thrown to the wolves in this Chamber by the First Minister for daring to point out some of the fault lines in the Welsh NHS. They took the unprecedented step of every single chair of their committees, from their consultants committee to the junior doctors committee, sending a letter to each and every Member in this Chamber. So, please, do not try and paint some glorified picture that doesn’t exist; it might in your fantasy land, Cabinet Secretary, but it doesn’t exist in Wales today, I have to tell you.

We will be challenging this Bill as it goes through the Assembly, and also in committee, as Janet Finch-Saunders has highlighted, not because we oppose the role of unions, because we believe unions have a valuable role in improving workers’ rights. But what we oppose is the politicisation of what the general secretaries are trying to achieve by working hand in glove with the Labour Party. But the specific question I would like to ask you, Cabinet Secretary, is in particular about your last paragraph, where it says,

It is for this Assembly rightfully to decide how we want to see those services delivered in Wales’.

Do you believe that, if you think that you have a case to legislate on terms and conditions, therefore you are opening the door to regional pay, and actually you will be doing a huge disservice to public sector workers in this country by prosecuting your case to make this Bill stand on the statute book? I believe that you are offering the introduction of regional pay if you persist with this Bill, Cabinet Secretary.