Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:59 pm on 6 October 2021.
I absolutely don't. What I do know is that people in the NHS who have been working hard throughout this pandemic deserve their 3 per cent pay award and it should have come from the UK Government. Instead, what we've had to do is to find that money from within the budgets we had here already. That effectively means that we've had to cut other areas because we wanted to make sure that we rewarded these people who have been working so hard throughout this pandemic. And I'll tell you how much it would cost. For us to find 1 per cent, it'll cost us £50 million a year. To go further than 3 per cent is going to be incredibly difficult. And unfortunately, unlike Plaid Cymru, we don't have a magic money tree to address that issue, and it would be very interesting to hear from Plaid Cymru exactly what they would cut in order to find that additional funding that they say they would pay, because it's got to come from the NHS budget. So, what would you cut? You have to be serious about politics. You are not serious. It's about the language of priorities. That's what Aneurin Bevan talked about. We know about that. We make those tough decisions, you never do. Tell us what you would cut instead. You are not doing that.
I understand, definitely, the strength of feeling from staff and their trade unions. We continue to meet regularly with trade union representatives from the majority of NHS unions. And yes, I'll be meeting them again tomorrow. And they, and we, agree that despite these really difficult circumstances, our social partnership approach provides the best possible mechanism for finding the best possible solution. And they continue to push really hard on behalf of their members for additional benefits and enhancements to supplement the 3 per cent pay offer for our hard-working and committed NHS staff.
And whilst I am committed to fair pay for NHS Wales, social care workers have also provided a significant contribution to keeping us safe during the pandemic, and we're desperate to recruit more people to this valuable service, which will take the pressure off NHS staff. And unlike NHS Wales staff, many social care workers are paid below the real living wage, and their pay must also be a priority.
I won't take any lessons from the Tories on this subject. They have not given us the additional funding that we should have had. The talks continue. They're tough, they're robust, and we'll continue to work with our partners to reach a fair outcome for all. And of course, we all want to avoid an industrial dispute. NHS workers absolutely deserve to be recognised for their work at this most challenging time, and we'll do our very best to meet their aspirations within the means that are available to us.