5. Will the Counsel General make a statement on how the current devolution settlement enables the Welsh Government to promote workers' rights? OQ56861

I thank the Member for his question on an issue that he knows is close to my heart. We can raise knowledge and awareness of workers' rights and promote access to support and advice. As part of our commitments to fair work, we collaborated with social partners on a workers' rights and responsibilities campaign, and we will build on this as we continue to advance fair work.

Well, I'm grateful to the Counsel General for that answer, and as he is, I'm a proud member of a trade union. I think we all should be, and I'll just point that out to my colleagues on the corner benches. [Laughter.]

But the Counsel General will know that I have spoken before in this Chamber about the importance and the need to use the social partnership Bill to empower workers and trade union representatives within the workplace, and, ultimately, that's how they and we should judge any change, and the change we should judge by, ultimately, is: how does it affect and make working class lives better? The expectations could be, Counsel General, high for this, and they should be high for this. So, are you confident that the social partnership Bill can deliver this? Do you agree with me that the definition of fair work is crucial in delivering this Bill? Do we have the levers to ensure that that definition is robust enough so that this Bill delivers for working people?

I think, just on the very general point in terms of the way in which we can influence workplace rights and so on, it is worth recognising first of all that the record of this Welsh Labour Government in these areas has been very, very significant, whether it be the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017, whether it be the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014, whether it be legislation in respect of ending zero-hours contracts in respect of the social care sector, and in many other areas, and particularly in respect of social partnership, which is where your question was leading to.

The social partnership Bill, I think, is an important piece of legislation. Of course, the Minister with responsibility for that Bill is sat here, and I'm sure she hears the comments that you make, but I think there is a very common position that we do have, and that is, certainly in this post-Brexit, this inter-COVID environment that we're in, the quality of work is absolutely fundamental to the quality of life of our citizens and is therefore something that we cannot disregard. The social partnership Bill seeks to use the resources and powers that we have in order to influence progressive change along those particular lines.

And, of course, you referred to the role of trade unions within this. I think one of the messages Welsh Government has always had—a very clear message—is that joining and being collectively represented through a trade union is the best way for workers to ensure and to protect their rights at work. I think that is one of the fundamental messages that go through all the issues relating to fair work. So, I certainly myself look forward to the further progress in respect of the social partnership Bill, and of course you should recognise also the work that we've done in terms of equality and the Minister who answered questions earlier, Jane Hutt, in respect of section 1 of the Equality Act 2010, the implementation of that, which I think was a further important step.

Just one final point is actually to recognise the actual work that you have been doing in this area, because your work in respect of well-being in work, universal basic income and, in fact, the issues around the four-day week are all areas where there are opportunities now to explore new opportunities, new ways of working, new ways where we live to work, not work to live. So, I think that is very much to your credit, and I very much look forward to the outcome of your discussions that are going to be taking place on Thursday on the four-day working week, and, of course, there is a debate tomorrow in the Chamber where that issue is being raised as well, and I look forward to that as well.

It's today, Minister. [Laughter.]

Question 6 [OQ56877] is withdrawn. Question 7, Huw Irranca-Davies.