4. Statement by the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales: Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:21 pm on 20 May 2020.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 3:21, 20 May 2020

Can I thank Lynne Neagle both for her question and for the opportunity to discuss the situation at Safran in Cwmbran very recently, along with Nick? I would urge the company to meet with elected representatives without delay.

It's absolutely vital that, in a time of crisis, employers communicate clearly with their workforce and with elected Members and with the communities that they're based in in order to avoid unnecessary anxiety and, indeed, panic, because that's what I'm picking up in Cwmbran at the moment regarding future employment prospects. It's absolutely vital that engagement does take place in a meaningful and transparent way, and that involves as well the trade unions.

I can assure Lynne that, as part of our roll-out of the economic contract—I've already mentioned that mental health is part of the criteria for the economic contract—other elements of the contract concern fair work. And, of course, we set up the Fair Work Commission to make recommendations on how to improve standards of employment in Wales, and we'll be ensuring that, during the next iteration of the economic contract, we're more stretching in what we expect from employers in terms of engagement with trade unions and with the workforce in general, and that they take full responsibility for employees during downturns and during a crisis of the sort that we're experiencing right now.