6. Plaid Cymru Debate: Industrial relations

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:16 pm on 1 March 2023.

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Photo of Luke Fletcher Luke Fletcher Plaid Cymru 4:16, 1 March 2023

Diolch, Llywydd. As I close this debate, I'm reminding myself of what I'd said in my opening to the debate around having faith in the Government to be better than UK Labour and Conservative Governments. I have to say, though, it is quite disappointing to not have a single contribution from the Members of the Labour backbench. There was an offer of solidarity on behalf of the Labour group, but they should be here giving that solidarity and saying that solidarity themselves in this Chamber, in a debate on an attack that members of that party have vocally opposed and condemned. 

This debate has demonstrated today through Plaid Cymru Members, and the Deputy Minister as well, to be fair, the case and need to protect workers' rights. Heledd set out how much we owe to the trade union movement and things we take for granted: maternity leave, minimum wage, the weekend, all things we take for granted these days. If the Tories were truly committed to delivering a high-growth and high-wage economy, as they keep promising, then they would support this cause rather than persist with an increasingly out-of-touch ideological crusade of antagonism and attrition against working people. 

I'm sorry, Joel, that you drew the short straw on this debate. I mean, you know, tell me you're a member of the Conservative Party without actually saying that you're a member of the Conservative Party. I would seriously encourage Joel to go and speak to the Royal College of Nursing, for example, about what happens on a strike day, and I think you'll find very quickly that what he set out in his contribution was factually incorrect. To be fair, I don't think many people on that side of the Chamber, if any at all, have been within a mile of a picket line, but just try it once and I think you'll see a lot of the things that you believe happen are simply untrue. 

While the Welsh Government's social partnership Bill and its fair work agenda provides a useful foundation, we do also acknowledge the limitations of devolved competencies over employment law in Wales, which is almost entirely reserved to Westminster. But it is for this very reason that we call on the Welsh Government to redouble its efforts in seeking further devolved powers over employment law here in Wales. As is apparent throughout so many aspects of current devolved settlement powers, though, the Welsh Government has ample scope for policy design in a number of areas, including industrial and economic strategy, but lacks the ability and the mechanisms to effectively enforce and consolidate its policy delivery. This is particularly problematic when, as is the case presently, the respective priorities of the Welsh Government and Westminster are increasingly polarised, as Peredur alluded to.

When trade unions are strong, we all win. For me, our economy should be the result of the kind of society we want to create. For me, that also reflects the history that Delyth alluded to—a society that is one of compassion, solidarity, one where no-one is left to fall behind. I'll borrow from the film Pride for a moment. They're at Castell Carreg Cennen and Dai is telling Mark about the lodge banner, the symbol on that banner of two hands. That is what the trade union movement means: I support you, you support me, shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, solidarity. That is in stark contrast to what's on offer from Westminster’s division and poverty. More demands will be made, more ballots will be put forward, and more workers up and down Wales will join. Plaid Cymru will be right there alongside them, with solidarity with all workers fighting for better pay and working conditions, not just in Wales, but across the globe.