AFTER a long period of speculation, it is safe to say that we are finally having a decent discussion about the future of Welsh public services and, in particular, local government.

The reason for this is the publication of Paul Williams’s report on public service governance and delivery, which presents a very real and thorough attempt to outline a public service vision for Wales. 

Last April First Minister Carwyn Jones tasked the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery with carrying out a comprehensive survey of Wales’s devolved public services. Its findings were delivered after what Williams described as “eight months of painstaking work.”

This report puts a magnifying glass over the mammoth task that we have ahead of us. It highlights that we must build a public service in Wales that is fit for purpose, produces the outcomes that people in Wales need, and is sustainable for the long term. 

What is certain is that none of this can be achieved without the engagement of the workforce and the involvement of trade unions. 

Williams’s recommendations have huge implications for the Welsh public-sector workforce. The report has been published at a time when public services are experiencing ever-increasing pressures as a result of austerity, yet demand on services is not wavering. 

This is the greatest challenge for our services in a generation, and this is precisely why plans for the future of services cannot be allowed to drift. 

We need clear and decisive progress that is developed in partnership, and led and delivered through Welsh government. 

The Welsh government’s first task should be the establishment of a staff commission. It is absolutely crucial that trade unions are involved in these discussions from the earliest possible opportunity. The setting up of a staff commission would support that.

It must be noted that in addition to growing challenges on services and service delivery, the public- sector workforce has experienced a significant reduction in the real- term value of their pay. 

Add to that the looming presence of public service reconfiguration, and we can expect to see decreased workforce morale and stagnation within services. In a nutshell, we need to get on with it and there is no time like the present. 

We cannot continue to firefight this financial storm by trimming a bit here and top-slicing a bit there. With or without the implementation of the Williams proposals, the current financial situation is going to change the Welsh public service landscape forever. 

This could be our opportunity to try to create the public sector we want.

However, the implementation of Williams cannot be seen as merely a cost-saving exercise. Realistically, we must acknowledge that 80 per cent of the public sector’s overall budget is made up of staffing costs, so it is with some trepidation that we will enter the next phase of these discussions. 

Unison will continue to seek a position of no compulsory redundancies in the public sector, whether the commission’s recommendations are taken forward or not. 

Large-scale public-sector job losses would be catastrophic, not only for the services but the wider Welsh economy. The Welsh government is clearly committed to keeping as many people in work as possible, and its approach has certainly seen some successes. 

We hope that the Welsh government’s forward thinking will be extended to the public-sector workforce too. 

Unison is also calling for the “one public service” Wales ethos to be cultivated from the earliest possible opportunity. 

There are very clear benefits to implementing a common, cross-sector approach to staffing issues generally. 

We also hope to see all public-sector staff being treated equitably with regards to issues including voluntary redundancy, redeployment and relocation, irrespective of what service they work in. 

To take these principles one stage further, we will be advocating that staff pay, terms and conditions should be harmonised on a Wales-wide scale through the use of a common job evaluation scheme. 

This would promote a culture of flexibility throughout the sector, which would be of benefit to services across Wales. 

Similarly, with issues surrounding workforce development, we should be working for equality of opportunity. The quality of public services is hugely dependent on the quality of the workforce, and it is essential that they have access to a good standard of training. 

While we can appreciate the benefits of a new public service leadership and development centre for Wales, we are clear that these new and exciting opportunities should be available to
public-sector workers at all levels. 

A central approach would be in danger of being seen as elitist and hierarchical, but this danger could easily be overcome by being inclusive rather than exclusive in nature. 

While there is the possibility of developing a strong Welsh public service ethos and vision, we must also be aware that quality is intrinsically linked with value for money and the public sector must be cost-effective. 

UNISON consistently highlights the potential to make significant savings through merging the eight local government pension funds in Wales, and we hope that this review will provide a chance to more seriously consider this as current pension arrangements in Wales do not deliver value for money. 

Furthermore, public services in Wales are facing unprecedented challenges and part of our response to public service governance and delivery must include a demand for a fairer funding formula for Wales from Westminster. 

Public services cannot be expected to absorb the cost of what is potentially an overhaul of service provision. A forceful challenge to the Barnett formula is long overdue, and this could be our chance to mount that challenge. 

Public services, those who use them and those who work for them face a very difficult period ahead. This review may well provide the silver lining that we so gravely need, but the only way we are going to find out is if we grasp the nettle and get on with it.

Margaret Williams is Unison Wales regional secretary