, Minister for Culture,
Skills and Social Partnership: This week marks ‘HeartUnions' week
– an annual event to highlight the essential work of trade unions
and which I am pleased to be able to celebrate in Wales.
Welsh Government is a union-friendly government, and we are
committed to promoting workers' access to trade unions across
Wales.
Welsh Government is proud to work in social partnership with
trade unions in Wales and the Social Partnership Council has now
been up and running for a year this month.
There are many benefits of trade unions for workers, employers,
and our wider communities.
The union movement has helped progress key worker rights
including the minimum wage, maternity and paternity rights, equal
pay, and holiday and sickness entitlements. Trade union members
can seek workplace representation, legal advice, and learning
opportunities through their union.
There is often a misconception that it is only workers who reap
the rewards of trade unionism, but employers have a lot to gain
from recognising and working with trade unions.
There's an economy of scale when progressing workplace matters.
For medium and large organisations, it is easier to deal with
workplace issues on a collective scale rather than with each
individual worker.
As experienced negotiators, union officials are experts in their
field which in turn supports employers when they navigate
workplace policies, procedures and legal obligations. And
trade unions support workforce development. We only need to
look at the success of our Wales Union Learning Fund to see how
union led learning, supported by the Welsh Government, benefits
workers and employers.
Unionised workplaces are safer, which clearly benefits everyone,
including the employer. Unionised workplaces also tend to have
better overall pay, terms and conditions which helps create a
more satisfied and stable workforce with less churn. Trade union
members, on average, stay in their jobs for around 5 years longer
than non-unionised workers.
There are also wider benefits of trade unions for society as a
whole. Trade unions are integral to the advancement of Fair Work
which supports more prosperous communities with workers who have
more money in their pockets to spend, and more time off in which
to spend it.
Trade unionism does not stop at the workplace door. Trade unions
campaign on issues of global solidarity too – including climate
change, fair trade, and equalities.
So, whilst this week gives us a chance to pause and reflect on
the importance of trade unions, the reality is that they should
be celebrated every day, and I intend to highlight the positives
of trade unionism at every opportunity.
