Senedd 2026: Prospect’s recommendations at a glance
Ahead of the Senedd elections on 7 May 2026, Prospect is calling on all parties and candidates to prioritise workers and invest in secure, high-quality jobs.
Prospect is politically independent, but we will always fight for our members’ interests. Explore our policy priorities for the upcoming elections below, shaped by our members who are critical to the future of Wales.
1. Safeguarding public sector work & fairness at work
Key asks
Fair work & job security: Protect jobs from outsourcing and cuts, ensure Senedd expansion doesn’t overload staff, and improve workforce planning.
Pay & conditions: Deliver inflation‑proof pay, strengthen flexible working and development, and properly value specialist roles.
Union voice: Guarantee union access, facility time, and meaningful consultation—especially around AI and change programmes.
Equality & inclusion: Use equality impact assessments, tackle pay gaps, and ensure safe, inclusive workplaces.
Why it matters
Public services rely on a respected, fairly treated workforce to deliver a stronger Wales.
2. Protecting Wales’ heritage
Key asks
Invest in the sector: Reverse years of cuts, introduce multi‑year funding, and direct Visitor Levy funding to heritage institutions.
Protect skills: Stop the decline of specialist roles, strengthen succession planning, and invest in apprenticeships.
Pay & conditions: Provide inflation‑proof pay and parity with other public sector workers, addressing pay gaps and outdated structures.
Fair work & union rights: Support union access, collective bargaining, and fair work standards that prevent casualisation.
Why it matters
Long‑term underfunding threatens Wales’ cultural assets and the skilled workforce needed to preserve them.
3. Safeguarding Wales’ creative industries
Key asks
Investment: Increase cultural funding, with strong economic returns.
Engagement: Maintain regular dialogue with creative unions and include them in sector governance.
Skills: Expand CULT Cymru and similar initiatives to build skills and wellbeing.
Fair work: Improve hiring practices and workplace standards through union collaboration.
Why it matters
Creative industries boost jobs, culture, language, and Wales’ global reputation—requiring strong, fair support for their workforce.
4. Securing Wales’ scientific future
Key asks
Just transition: Recognise science as a growth driver, invest in clean/digital innovation, and ensure public R&D delivers fair‑work benefits.
Protect skills: Support STEM pipelines, prevent offshoring, and safeguard specialist roles.
Pay & conditions: Ensure fair pay, transparent structures, and progression.
Union voice: Strengthen recognition, ensure worker involvement in AI and automation, and promote social partnership.
Why it matters
Wales’ scientific leadership depends on protecting and valuing its highly skilled workforce.
5. Clean energy & just transition
Key asks
Just transition: Co‑design transition plans with unions, support fossil‑fuel workers, and prioritise local supply chains.
Quality jobs: Create secure, unionised roles in renewables and nuclear, with social value conditions.
Fair work: Guarantee fair pay, safety, progression, and parity across sectors.
Union rights: Ensure union involvement in all transition planning and manage technological change with—not to—workers.
Why it matters
A fair, worker‑led transition to net zero avoids repeating past inequalities and strengthens Wales’ energy future.
6. Investing in the Civil Service
Key asks
Strengthen workforce planning, especially in STEM/digital roles.
Reverse real‑terms pay cuts with inflation‑proof increases.
Cut consultant dependency by building in‑house skills.
Embed union voice through social partnership in reform.
Why it matters
Wales cannot deliver the ambitions of a growing Senedd or tackle major challenges without a properly funded, skilled civil service.