Already, in this Senedd, we have discussed the principle of UBI and the importance of giving dignity to people by giving them an income that they can live on. It was the Labour Government, of course, that introduced the minimum wage in order to give some level of dignity and assurance to the workforce. That fundamental principle of a fair wage for the work that you do, giving people dignity, is way gone. But, here we are, again, in 2021, having to argue for giving fair salaries to workers that reflects their work, their commitment and their ability, and, indeed, a salary that will attract people to a career in care.

Over a half of the NHS workforce are the main wage earners in their households. Tens of thousands of households in Wales are reliant on nurses' wages in order to live, to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. More shockingly still, one in five of the workforce has to have other employment in addition to working for the NHS. Isn't this alone enough to show the importance of wage levels in the NHS, and that the current salaries aren't sufficient for many people?

According to thorough research by the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, almost 60 per cent of the NHS workforce can't strike a good work-life balance, because they work more hours than they are paid for, and often work unsociable hours. Indeed, three quarters of the nursing workforce say that they work overtime, leading to an increase in levels of stress and mental health problems, as well as other problems. This, in turn, is costly to the health service. An FOI request to the north Wales health board prior to the pandemic showed that 77,000 staff days had been lost as a result of stress, which amounted to £5.5 million lost to the service. It's no surprise, therefore, that a high level of people are leaving the NHS workforce. The money's there, but it's being put in the wrong places, and this, in turn, leads to a reliance on agency nurses and far higher costs for the health service—tens of millions of pounds per annum, and that's increasing annually.

A fortnight ago, there was a debate here on the ambulance service, and everyone was agreed that the shortage of beds in hospitals was a core part of the problem. In order to resolve that, of course, we need more nurses, and it is well known now, for a decade and more, that there is a shortage in nursing staff. The work of Anne Marie Rafferty shows that, irrefutably, a shortage of nurses leads to an increase in mortality rates among patients. A shortage of nurses leads to more accidents, mistakes and an increase in infections. Do we truly expect to meet the nursing needs without giving nurses a fair wage? And who are the people suffering most from this economic uncertainty?