The time is now to work together and form plan
COMETH the hour, cometh the individual. Covid-19 has shaken the world to its core, testing healthcare and welfare systems, our societies and economies and our way of living and working together.
Speaking at our regular Wednesday @2pm webinar, former First Minister Carwyn Jones spoke last week about the need for a plan to get Wales moving again.
He spent time listening to our members and offering his advice and guidance on our future recovery. Knowing where we’re going and how we’re going to get there is key so, like all good businesses, we need a plan.
We face a huge challenge as talk of a second wave starts to gather pace.
However, it’s important we remember that before the crisis, our economy was in a good place, with real strengths in key sectors, including tourism, manufacturing and renewable energy.
I don’t have all the answers. Nobody does.
There are going to be casualties along the way and none of us should underestimate the impact that Covid-19 is having on some sectors like hospitality, events and the arts.
But I do know that there has been and continues to be unprecedented levels of cooperation between social partners including the trade unions and business organisations as well as Welsh and UK governments.
The opportunity to be engaged at the highest levels with ministers and officials is appreciated and needed.
The time is now for us to work together, to collaborate and, as Carwyn rightly says, to form a plan for the future.
Our plan has to be Wales wide and it has to look forward with hope and optimism. Support from organisations like Business Wales and the Development Bank of Wales will be more important than ever before.
But it is also time for us all to step up; as individuals, as teams and as a nation united in our efforts to beat this virus for the benefit of all.
A good plan will involve us all. It will play to our strengths and encourage consensus so that we can all get behind it and take ownership of our collective future.
This can’t be a pretty document that will look good but find itself collecting dust on a shelf. It needs to represent a seismic shift and set out how we can do things differently.
Honesty and realism is key. We need a recovery plan that turns the challenges we face into opportunities, by investing in our future with a long-term vision that engages our communities, crosses political boundaries and focuses on future generations.
We need to focus on rebuilding confidence through strong leadership. We should acknowledge that we have not lost our strengths in innovation or skills. We still have the same people and we still have the same natural assets. We just need to harness all these to make sure we meet the challenge and bounce back stronger than ever.
The coming months and years are going to be among the most challenging in our lifetime for our economy, our society, and many of us individually.
Social deprivation and unemployment will be hard to resolve; people’s working and personal lives will suffer. The post-coronavirus labour market is already very different to the one we left behind in March.
But let’s be clear. This crisis has shown us all how much we rely on each other and how much we need basic human skills.
Previously ‘unskilled’ and ‘undervalued’ workers in care homes, refuse collection and supermarkets have been elevated to ‘key worker’ status. We’ve spent Thursday evenings applauding the dedication and skills of NHS workers.
We’ve all become more dependent on the skills of others and learnt to appreciate the simple things in life. Our family, our friends and our communities are what matter most. We’ve learned just how much we depend on, and learn from, others to get things done. We’ve learned that other people bring out the best in us.
As we take tentative steps to come out of the crisis, we need a recovery strategy focused on getting people back to work, into jobs that are skilled and sustainable, in sectors that we want to grow here in Wales. We need a coordinated and joined up approach that works for Wales. Most of all, we need to help each other.
Like the rest of the world, we are paying a heavy price for Covid-19.
There will be no quick return to ‘normality.’ There are no easy answers. But, we must have a plan.
It is inevitable that we will need to adapt as we learn more about the virus but having a plan will give us hope and it will give us focus.
Our plan must allow people to get on with more of their normal lives and get our economy working again.
We must continue to work with Welsh and UK Government and we should all be thinking about stepping up to make a difference for the long term prosperity of our great nation.
This is one of the biggest international challenges faced in a generation. Our response to these unprecedented and unpredictable challenges must be similarly united. So, with a nod to JFK, please take a minute; ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country because Wales needs you.
■ Robert Lloyd Griffiths is director of IoD Wales.