WIREDGOV

The Welsh Government is making progress in ensuring that those employed in the retail sector are fairly and properly paid and treated.

Marking the progress seen during the first year of the Welsh Government’s retail action plan, the Minister for Social Partnership outlined the actions being taken, from enabling the wider implementation of a real living wage to ongoing financial support with nondomestic rates bills and future proofing. She also committed to working with police and crime commissioners to tackle the physical and verbal abuse which remains too common in the sector.

The Minister for Social Partnerships, Sarah Murphy, said:

The retail sector is one of the largest private sector employers in Wales, offering diverse and rewarding careers. This is why we have focused on the “people” elements of our Retail Action Plan over the past year, which aligns with the Economic Mission key national priorities of skills, young people and the everyday economy.

A better deal for workers is one of the keys to unlocking the door to a stronger, better, fairer and more sustainable future for the retail sector. Our Fair Work principles are central to this and will address some of the issues we know are being faced by the sector.

Over the past year we have seen average wages across the retail sector improve compared with Wales averages, which is good to hear, although we recognise there is still a great deal of work to do to ensure those who work in the retail sector have access to fair, safe and secure work.

The Welsh Government is investing an additional £78 million to provide a fifth successive year of support for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses with their non-domestic rates bills, building on the almost £1 billion of support provided through its retail, leisure, and hospitality rates relief schemes since 2020-21.

It has also made an extra £20 million available through its Future Proofing Fund, which will help up to 2,500 micro, small and medium sized businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors to invest in renewable energy technology, improvements to their premises, and upgrades to systems or machinery to reduce energy bills.