English: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd. We've thanked them; we've clapped for them; we've come to appreciate them perhaps more than ever over the past 18 months. But after sacrificing so much, our NHS health and care workers across Wales deserve now to be properly and fairly rewarded through their pay. The least we think Welsh Government could do is stand alongside healthcare workers in Wales and commit to a rise above that proposed by the NHS pay review body, which, of course, doesn't even keep up with inflation. That's why we're holding this debate today. Experiences of the pandemic, of course, only reinforced what was already known about the NHS and the health and care workforce - one that was suffering from staff shortages and low morale, which operated in an environment deprived of investment and resources. Now add to that a real-terms pay cut, it's no wonder so many health and care workers have voted through their unions and representative bodies to express their anger at what they have been given. Since when is the Welsh Government in the business of matching what we have seen from UK Government, which of course, first of all, offered up that derisory 1 per cent only to then increase to 3 per cent? We do not believe that Welsh Government should be merely matching that. 'Money doesn't grow on trees', said the First Minister. Of course he's right, but a failure, I think, to invest in, to support, to attract and to retain staff - the best staff, who we need - within health and care risks taking a big swinging axe to any hope of growth, of morale within health and care and of nurturing the staff that we should be treasuring. In a recent survey, members of the Welsh NHS Confederation identified recruitment and retention of the workforce as one of the main challenges facing the NHS in Wales. To ensure NHS careers remain an attractive proposition, to keep the workforce wanting to provide care within the NHS, and being able to afford to, the workforce need to know that they are appreciated, and fair pay is at the heart of that. During the pandemic, the nursing workforce in Wales provided clinically complex care day in, day out - leadership shown; compassionate support shown for colleagues, for patients and their families. It's always been the case though that healthcare workers provide that level of care and dedication 24/7, 365 days a year. But we can't just take that for granted. We need to recognise that Wales has a chronic workforce shortage. It's failing to attract sufficient individuals into the healthcare professions; failing to encourage healthcare staff to stay. The Welsh Government has to tackle these existing workforce shortages and ensure that the healthcare professions are an attractive career option - well-paid and meaningfully supported. Fair pay is at the heart of that. The Royal College of Nursing in Wales have, of course, led the charge to ensure that nurses in Wales get a salary that recognises their contribution to society, not just to the NHS. Throughout the pandemic, we have all witnessed the most impressive - deeply impressive - demonstration of nursing, seeing it as the highly skilled profession it is, deserving of fair pay and we owe so much to the nursing profession, as we do to other workers right across the health and care system. But now, they feel unappreciated, and who can blame them? Unions and representative bodies have held pay consultations. A pay consultation by Unison Cymru found that 87 per cent of healthcare workers voted to oppose the offer; Unite Wales's NHS members have voted to reject their 3 per cent pay increase; 93.9 per cent of RCN Wales members who voted said that they think that the pay award is unacceptable, with only 6.1 per cent saying that it is acceptable. The RCN has decided this afternoon to move to an indicative ballot on industrial action in England, with a decision for Wales expected to be announced soon. We hear that the Government is in talks with the unions, and I hope that the unions are successful in those discussions for the sake of the workers, for the sake of their members. And perhaps the Minister can confirm today that those talks do include a substantive pay increase - that the possibility of a substantive pay increase is on the table. There's been huge frustration in the RCN and its members at suggestions that they have somehow been pulling out of discussions with Government; it's the Government that's been saying, 'You will not discuss a substantive pay increase across the board'. I understand that a meeting is to take place perhaps as early as tomorrow, and again, perhaps the Minister can confirm that a substantive pay increase is on the table. Other measures considered when looking at pay and conditions, measures such as increased annual leave and holiday pay are, of course, welcome, but surely the Government can accept that, at the end of the day, to really show gratitude and appreciation and recognition of the work done by our health and care workers, that has to include now a real-terms pay increase. It is time to reward our health and care workers with a new fair pay deal.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rydym wedi diolch iddynt; rydym wedi eu cymeradwyo; rydym wedi dod i'w gwerthfawrogi yn fwy nag erioed efallai dros y 18 mis diwethaf. Ond ar ôl aberthu cymaint, mae gweithwyr iechyd a gofal y GIG ledled Cymru yn haeddu cael eu gwobrwyo'n iawn ac yn deg drwy eu cyflog. Y peth lleiaf y credwn y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud yw sefyll ochr yn ochr â gweithwyr gofal iechyd yng Nghymru ac ymrwymo i godiad uwch na'r hyn a gynigiwyd gan gorff adolygu cyflogau'r GIG, nad yw, wrth gwrs, yn cadw i fyny â chwyddiant hyd yn oed. Dyna pam ein bod yn cynnal y ddadl hon heddiw. Yr hyn a wnaeth profiadau'r pandemig wrth gwrs oedd atgyfnerthu'r hyn a wyddem eisoes am y GIG a'r gweithlu iechyd a gofal - gweithlu a oedd yn dioddef oherwydd prinder staff a morâl isel, a oedd yn gweithredu mewn amgylchedd heb ddigon o fuddsoddiad ac adnoddau. Nawr, ychwanegwch doriad cyflog mewn termau real at hynny, ac nid oes unrhyw ryfedd fod cymaint o weithwyr iechyd a gofal wedi pleidleisio drwy eu hundebau a'u cyrff cynrychioliadol i fynegi eu dicter ynglŷn â'r hyn a roddwyd iddynt. Ers pa bryd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn efelychu'r hyn a welsom gan Lywodraeth y DU, a gynigodd, wrth gwrs, yn gyntaf oll, y cynnig gwarthus hwnnw o 1 y cant, cyn ei gynyddu wedyn i 3 y cant? Credwn y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru wneud mwy na hynny. 'Nid yw arian yn tyfu ar goed', meddai'r Prif Weinidog. Mae'n llygad ei le, wrth gwrs, ond credaf y byddai methu buddsoddi, cefnogi, denu a chadw staff - y staff gorau, y mae eu hangen arnom - mewn iechyd a gofal yn creu perygl o ddinistrio unrhyw obaith o dwf, o forâl mewn iechyd a gofal, ac o feithrin y staff y dylem fod yn eu trysori. Mewn arolwg diweddar, nododd aelodau o Gonffederasiwn GIG Cymru mai recriwtio a chadw'r gweithlu yw un o'r prif heriau sy'n wynebu'r GIG yng Nghymru. Er mwyn sicrhau bod gyrfaoedd yn y GIG yn parhau i fod yn gynnig deniadol, er mwyn sicrhau bod y gweithlu'n parhau i fod yn awyddus i ddarparu gofal o fewn y GIG, a gallu fforddio gwneud hynny, mae angen i'r gweithlu wybod eu bod yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi, ac mae cyflog teg yn ganolog i hynny. Yn ystod y pandemig, darparodd y gweithlu nyrsio yng Nghymru ofal clinigol cymhleth bob dydd - gan ddangos arweinyddiaeth; gan roi cymorth tosturiol i gydweithwyr, i gleifion a'u teuluoedd. Mae'n wir fod gweithwyr gofal iechyd bob amser wedi darparu'r lefel honno o ofal ac ymroddiad 24/7, 365 diwrnod y flwyddyn. Ond ni allwn gymryd hynny'n ganiataol. Mae angen inni gydnabod bod prinder cronig o staff yng ngweithlu Cymru. Mae'n methu denu digon o unigolion i'r proffesiynau gofal iechyd; yn methu annog staff gofal iechyd i aros. Mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru fynd i'r afael â'r prinder presennol yn y gweithlu a sicrhau bod y proffesiynau gofal iechyd yn opsiwn gyrfa deniadol - yn un sy'n talu'n dda ac wedi'i gefnogi'n ystyrlon. Mae cyflog teg yn ganolog i hynny. Mae Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru wedi arwain y frwydr i sicrhau bod nyrsys yng Nghymru'n cael cyflog sy'n cydnabod eu cyfraniad i gymdeithas, nid i'r GIG yn unig. Drwy gydol y pandemig, mae pob un ohonom wedi bod yn dyst i nyrsio ar ei fwyaf trawiadol - hynod drawiadol - ac wedi gweld, yn gwbl gywir, ei fod yn broffesiwn medrus iawn, sy'n haeddu cyflog teg, ac mae arnom ddyled enfawr i'r proffesiwn nyrsio, fel i weithwyr eraill ym mhob rhan o'r system iechyd a gofal. Ond erbyn hyn, maent yn teimlo nad ydynt yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi, a phwy all eu beio? Mae undebau a chyrff cynrychioliadol wedi cynnal ymgynghoriadau cyflog. Canfu ymgynghoriad cyflog gan Unsain Cymru fod 87 y cant o weithwyr gofal iechyd wedi pleidleisio i wrthwynebu'r cynnig; mae aelodau'r GIG o undeb Unite Cymru wedi pleidleisio i wrthod eu codiad cyflog o 3 y cant; dywedodd 93.9 y cant o aelodau Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru a bleidleisiodd eu bod yn credu bod y dyfarniad cyflog yn annerbyniol, gyda 6.1 y cant yn unig yn dweud ei fod yn dderbyniol. Y prynhawn yma, mae'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol wedi penderfynu cynnal pleidlais ddangosol ar weithredu diwydiannol yn Lloegr, gyda disgwyl i benderfyniad ar gyfer Cymru gael ei gyhoeddi cyn bo hir. Rydym yn clywed bod y Llywodraeth mewn trafodaethau gyda'r undebau, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yr undebau'n llwyddiannus yn y trafodaethau hynny er lles y gweithwyr, er lles eu haelodau. Ac efallai y gall y Gweinidog gadarnhau heddiw fod y trafodaethau hynny'n cynnwys codiad cyflog ystyrlon - fod y posibilrwydd o godiad cyflog ystyrlon ar y bwrdd. Mae'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol a'i aelodau wedi mynegi cryn rwystredigaeth ynghylch awgrymiadau eu bod rywsut wedi bod yn tynnu allan o drafodaethau gyda'r Llywodraeth; y Llywodraeth sydd wedi bod yn dweud, 'Nid ydych i drafod codiad cyflog ystyrlon'. Deallaf y bydd cyfarfod yn cael ei gynnal mor gynnar ag yfory, o bosibl, ac unwaith eto, efallai y gall y Gweinidog gadarnhau bod codiad cyflog ystyrlon ar y bwrdd. Mae mesurau eraill a ystyrir wrth edrych ar dâl ac amodau, mesurau fel mwy o wyliau blynyddol a thâl gwyliau, i'w croesawu wrth gwrs, ond does bosibl na all y Llywodraeth dderbyn, yn y pen draw, er mwyn dangos diolch a gwerthfawrogiad a chydnabyddiaeth o'r gwaith a wnaed gan ein gweithwyr iechyd a gofal, fod yn rhaid i hynny gynnwys codiad cyflog mewn termau real yn awr. Mae'n bryd gwobrwyo ein gweithwyr iechyd a gofal â chytundeb cyflog teg newydd.