4. Statement by the First Minister: Social Partnership

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:05 pm on 9 July 2019.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 4:05, 9 July 2019

The statement has described many of the challenges facing us in Blaenau Gwent, from low wages, insecure work to difficulties facing the high street and employers and others. I hope that what you're able to do in taking this forward is to address those issues of in-work poverty that do affect Blaenau Gwent. All too often we see press releases from various places telling us about the work that's being created without ever describing what that work is, and the impact it has on families and the wider economy. So, I hope that we will be able to use this statement and this piece of legislation to address issues such as in-work poverty.

I hope also, First Minister, in seeking to describe the solutions, we will look for collective and co-operative solutions as well. I know that the Deputy Minister Lee Waters has placed a great emphasis on the foundational economy and how we deliver a co-operative approach to these matters in his work, particularly with the Valleys taskforce. I'm very supportive of that, and I hope that we will be able therefore to use the legislation here to drive forward a greater emphasis on the co-operative solutions.

First Minister, you'll also be aware that the Lisbon treaty, of course, recognises social partnership in the European Union, and that has been used to drive forward a way that the European Union has ensured that social partners are always represented in decision making across the union. I hope that the Welsh Government will look at the Lisbon treaty, and look at how that can be used as a model for delivering social partnership in Wales today. I hope also, First Minister, that we'll be able to look at this in terms of the shared prosperity fund, so that social partnership is hard wired into that. 

First Minister, we can make the legal changes and we can change the statutory framework, but you will, I'm sure, agree with me that real change comes from cultural change, and I'd be grateful if you could outline how you believe that this statutory change—the changes to the legal underpinning of what we do—can be used to drive forward a cultural change across the whole of our economy and public sector. 

My final question to you is this, First Minister: in many ways, what you're describing is a Welsh Labour, socialist approach to globalisation and the impact of globalisation on our local economies. We've seen from the xenophobia of the Brexit Party and others that there are very different responses to the impact of globalisation on people and communities. I hope that through our partnership with trade unions and through working together on a co-operative basis we can deliver the change that you describe, and radical reform throughout the whole of the public sector.