English: It seems we've come a long way since 1997, and listening to Mark Isherwood list the benefits of a living wage, wouldn't it have been great for him to have been around in the mid 1990s to try and persuade the Conservative Government to introduce a national minimum wage? They were dead set against it - absolutely, categorically, dead set against it. The national minimum wage, according to them, would destroy our economy. They've now changed their minds, and it's good that it's been the Labour Party that has created that change. But, having said that, the work of Government must continue, and that's why this motion is so worthy of support, and the fact that the real living wage is what we should be paying throughout Wales, as Helen Mary Jones has said. I just wanted to draw attention to Educ8, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and Wales Co-operative Centre in my constituency, who are all accredited living wage employers, and Caerphilly council, who are not an accredited living wage employer, but pay the real living wage. I'd also like to focus my comments on the Cabinet Secretary's policy for the foundational economy and the economic action plan, and particularly the work that that the Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change in Manchester - CRESC - has done. They've highlighted the fact that, if you have a focus on the foundational economy, it will also focus on low-wage, low-tech employment, and that is particularly the problem in northern Valleys communities and many of the communities in the northern part of the constituency that I represent. It is a particular problem, and that is partly because the environment is dominated by small firms and, particularly, micro firms. That's not to say that all micro firms are low-wage employers, but they do have a tendency - there is a bigger proportion that has a tendency - to that direction. We often talk about human resource practices in small micro firms as 'bleak house' in that it's not the paradise that you might think; you don't get the freedom that you might think, working in a small firm. But I do want to draw the Chamber's attention to the Federation of Small Businesses's report that was produced and launched today, 'A Skilful Wales', in which they also highlight that micro firms are also more likely, by 53 per cent, to be using and paying the real living wage than firms employing more than 10 people. So, there is a good picture; it's a complex picture, but there is a good picture in the foundational sector. So, a policy focus on the foundational economy that the Cabinet Secretary now enthusiastically espouses gives the Welsh Government those levers in the areas that they've chosen as sectors - that's care, food, retail and tourism. Their significance as providers and employers means that the Welsh Government can gain leverage on economic and social outcomes in those foundational sectors. Specifically, CRESC suggest that the Welsh Government should break with the idea of creating a generic business environment with non-standard policies that are adapted to sectoral characteristics and specific business requirements, recognising the complexity of the foundational sector, and even those four sectors that the Government have chosen - recognising the complexity and using what governmental power there is to leverage in influence in those sectors. In food, for example, this might involve negotiating with suppliers on formal commitments on sourcing, training and living wages. CRESC argue that the Government should encourage responsible business by promoting continuity of ownership for SMEs. One of the problems is that when our SMEs get to a level of success they're then bought by other organisations that may not have the same altruistic motives with regard to their human resource practices. So, public procurement can also play an important part, where Welsh Government uses its procurement powers to boost the foundational economy by requiring contractors and suppliers to pay the living wage. We can create a policy environment that supports the foundational economy and locally based SMEs and then embed within that a culture of paying the living wage in those companies. It has the potential to be hugely beneficial to SMEs if you pay the living wage, as has already been outlined - the benefits to an organisation of doing so - and we can create that right policy environment. There is an example that we've talked about before, in Preston, with the anchor organisation, but also talking about the supply webs that exist across the northern Valleys, enabling those to grow, expand, and then eventually pay the real living wage in those organisations.
Welsh: Ymddengys ein bod wedi teithio'n bell ers 1997, ac wrth wrando ar Mark Isherwood yn rhestru manteision cyflog byw, oni fyddai wedi bod yn wych pe bai wedi bod o gwmpas ynghanol y 1990au i geisio darbwyllo'r Llywodraeth Geidwadol i gyflwyno isafswm cyflog cenedlaethol? Roeddent yn ei wrthwynebu'n llwyr - yn gwbl bendant yn erbyn gwneud hynny. Yn ôl yr hyn a ddywedent, byddai isafswm cyflog cenedlaethol yn dinistrio ein heconomi. Maent bellach wedi newid eu meddyliau, ac mae'n dda mai'r Blaid Lafur a greodd y newid hwnnw. Ond wedi dweud hynny, rhaid i waith y Llywodraeth barhau, a dyna pam y mae'r cynnig hwn mor deilwng o'n cefnogaeth, ynghyd â'r ffaith y dylem fod yn talu cyflog byw go iawn ledled Cymru, fel y dywedodd Helen Mary Jones. Roeddwn am dynnu sylw at Educ8, Cyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru, a Chanolfan Cydweithredol Cymru yn fy etholaeth, gan eu bod oll yn gyflogwyr cyflog byw achrededig, a chyngor Caerffili, nad yw'n gyflogwr cyflog byw achrededig, ond mae'n talu'r cyflog byw go iawn. Hoffwn ganolbwyntio fy sylwadau hefyd ar bolisi Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ar gyfer yr economi sylfaenol a'r cynllun gweithredu economaidd, ac yn arbennig y gwaith y mae'r Ganolfan Ymchwil ar Newid Diwylliannol-Gymdeithasol ym Manceinion - CRESC - wedi'i wneud. Maent wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith, os oes gennych ffocws ar yr economi sylfaenol, y bydd hefyd yn canolbwyntio ar gyflogaeth technoleg isel, cyflog isel, a dyna'n benodol yw'r broblem mewn cymunedau yn y Cymoedd gogleddol a llawer o'r cymunedau yn rhan ogleddol yr etholaeth a gynrychiolaf. Mae'n broblem benodol, yn rhannol oherwydd bod yr amgylchedd yn llawn o gwmnïau bach a microgwmnïau yn enwedig. Nid yw hynny'n golygu bod pob microgwmni'n gyflogwr cyflog isel, ond maent yn tueddu - ceir cyfran fwy sy'n tueddu - i'r cyfeiriad hwnnw. Soniwn yn aml am arferion adnoddau dynol mewn microfusnesau bach fel pe baent yn ddiffygiol yn yr ystyr nad ydynt mor berffaith ag y gallech feddwl; nid oes gennych y rhyddid y gallech feddwl, wrth weithio mewn cwmni bach. Ond hoffwn dynnu sylw'r Siambr at adroddiad y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach a luniwyd ac a lansiwyd heddiw, 'Cymru Fedrus', lle maent hefyd yn amlygu bod microfusnesau 53 y cant yn fwy tebygol o fod yn defnyddio ac yn talu'r cyflog byw go iawn na chwmnïau sy'n cyflogi mwy na 10 o bobl. Felly, mae'n ddarlun da; mae'n ddarlun cymhleth, ond ceir darlun da yn y sector sylfaenol. Felly, mae ffocws polisi ar yr economi sylfaenol y mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet bellach yn ei chefnogi'n frwdfrydig yn rhoi dylanwad i Lywodraeth Cymru yn y meysydd y maent wedi'u dewis fel sectorau - sef gofal, bwyd, manwerthu a thwristiaeth. Mae eu pwysigrwydd fel darparwyr a chyflogwyr yn golygu y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ddylanwadu ar ganlyniadau economaidd a chymdeithasol yn y sectorau sylfaenol hynny. Yn benodol, mae CRESC yn awgrymu y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru gael gwared ar y syniad o greu amgylchedd busnes generig gyda pholisïau ansafonol a addasir yn ôl nodweddion sectoraidd a gofynion busnes penodol, gan gydnabod cymhlethdod y sector sylfaenol, a hyd yn oed y pedwar sector y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi'u dewis - gan gydnabod y cymhlethdod a defnyddio'r grym llywodraethol sydd ar gael i ddylanwadu yn y sectorau hynny. Yn y sector bwyd, er enghraifft, gallai hyn olygu negodi gyda chyflenwyr ar ymrwymiadau ffurfiol o ran cyrchu, hyfforddiant a chyflogau byw. Mae CRESC yn dadlau y dylai'r Llywodraeth annog busnesau i fod yn gyfrifol drwy hyrwyddo parhad perchnogaeth ar fusnesau bach a chanolig. Un o'r problemau yw bod ein busnesau bach a chanolig, pan fyddant yn cyrraedd lefel o lwyddiant, yn cael eu prynu gan sefydliadau heb yr un cymhellion allgarol o bosibl o ran eu harferion adnoddau dynol. Felly, gall caffael cyhoeddus chwarae rhan bwysig hefyd, lle mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n defnyddio'i phwerau caffael i hybu'r economi sylfaenol drwy ei gwneud yn ofynnol i gontractwyr a chyflenwyr dalu'r cyflog byw. Gallwn greu amgylchedd polisi sy'n cefnogi'r economi sylfaenol a busnesau bach a chanolig lleol ac ymgorffori diwylliant o'i mewn sy'n talu'r cyflog byw yn y cwmnïau hynny. Mae ganddo botensial i fod o fudd enfawr i fusnesau bach a chanolig os ydych yn talu'r cyflog byw, fel yr amlinellwyd eisoes - y manteision i sefydliad o wneud hynny - a gallwn greu'r amgylchedd polisi cywir hwnnw. Ceir enghraifft y buom yn siarad amdani o'r blaen, yn Preston, gyda'r sefydliad angori, ond hefyd wrth sôn am y gweoedd cyflenwi sy'n bodoli ar draws y Cymoedd gogleddol, a galluogi'r rheini i dyfu, i ehangu, ac yn y pen draw i dalu'r cyflog byw go iawn yn y sefydliadau hynny.