3. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership: The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:07 pm on 7 June 2022.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 3:07, 7 June 2022

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I thank you for the statement today, Deputy Minister, and I want to completely dissociate myself from the comments of Joel James and his anti-trade-union stand, and accusing them of all sorts of unsubstantiated statements. I'm a proud member of a trade union myself.

So, I do welcome this Bill. It is a key component of a wider push to make work in Wales much fairer, and it's a timely intervention too, when Tory taxes, benefit cuts and economic mismanagement are increasingly eroding pay and pensions across the board. And as always, the constructive model of social partnership here in Wales is in direct contrast with the Tories' failed confrontational approach. They're currently picking fights with rail workers as they have with teachers and junior doctors in the past.

So, my question to you, Deputy Minister, is: when we're talking about procurement and social partnerships, which you are here, that we will fully engage with everybody and also, I want to reinforce the question that Mike Hedges asked previously, that anybody that benefits from public funds in Wales both looks after the staff, but more importantly, that we keep the majority of that money here in Wales as well. Thank you.