Key employment law differences in Wales
[ch 1: page 32]The Welsh government has decisively rejected key anti-trade union provisions of the TUA 16. Under the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 (TUWA), limits on public service facility time and check off (Chapter 5) and higher balloting thresholds for workers carrying out “important public services” (Chapter 6) do not apply to devolved public services in Wales, that is, the NHS, education, local government and the fire service.
The Welsh government is committed to social partnership in Wales, embedding the principles of collective bargaining and dialogue in Wales to make it easier for unions, government and employers to work together. It brought in the public sector socio-economic duty in Wales (section 1, EA 10), with effect from 31 March 2021 and consultation on its Draft Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill ended on 23 April 2021.
In addition, Wales retained its Agricultural Advisory Panel, following the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board, a move fought by the Westminster government all the way to the Supreme Court (Agricultural Sector Wales Bill [2014] UKSC 43). See Chapter 4, page 101.