Jack Sargeant, 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.