First Minister Mark Drakeford has described social partnership as a “uniquely Welsh way of working,” which brings people, businesses and public service together to work towards a common goal.
The Bill places a legal duty on public bodies to engage with workers in decision making related to the Well-being Goals and includes a change to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to recognise that jobs in Wales must align with the principles of Fair Work to achieve a Prosperous Wales. As the real Living Wage accreditation partner for Wales, we welcome this change and hope to see increased interest from public bodies in Living Wage accreditation benefitting workers, public sector employers and the Welsh economy.
The Bill also creates a Socially Responsible Procurement Duty to ensure that spending by public bodies delivers social, environmental and cultural value for Wales in line with the Well-being Goals. We welcome this clear direction to public bodies to measure value in a more holistic way, building on some of the positive work already undertaken by local and national government to ensure fair and ethical supply chains.
“A Socially Responsible Procurement duty will apply to certain public bodies who will be required to seek to improve economic, environmental, social, and cultural well-being when carrying out procurement, to set objectives in relation to well-being goals, and to publish a procurement strategy. Public bodies will also be expected to carry out contract management duties to ensure that socially responsible outcomes are pursued through supply chains.”
