Unite the union is the recognised union for agricultural and rural workers across the UK. The union says the abolition of the AWB will have dire consequences for farming and farm workers leading to falling living standards in rural communities across England and Wales.
Wages and terms and conditions are set by the Agricultural Wages Board on behalf of 154,000 agricultural workers.
Unite national officer, Ian Waddell, said: "Even the Thatcher and Major governments didn’t go as far as scrapping the Agricultural Wages Board, recognising that rural workers need protection if food supplies are to be secure. Unite is building a broad alliance across rural communities to oppose the government's decision.
"The government's decision to press ahead with abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board will have dire consequences for farming and farm workers. Living standards across rural communities in England and Wales will fall as a result.
“Agriculture is critical to food supplies in this country and we have very real concerns. There is already a shortage of skilled labour and this will only be exacerbated if wages are under pressure, jeopardising our food security.”
Unite has a petition to defend the AWB- you can sign it by clicking here. The Labour Party also has a petition supporting Unite's position- you can sign by clicking here.
The Agricultural Wages Board is an independent body with a statutory obligation to set minimum wages for workers employed in agriculture in England and Wales. It was established by the Agricultural Wages Act (1948). The Board also has powers to decide other terms and conditions of employment, e.g. holidays and sick pay. It produces a legally binding Order which is enforced by Defra. The Order is made annually and normally comes into force on 1 October.
If you would like to advice on how the Order’s provisions apply to you, or if you think you might have been paid less than the minimum wage you should contact the Pay & Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. The helpline can also arrange for a copy of the Order to be sent to you. You can download the current guide to the orders (2010) here.
If you work in agriculture you can learn more about your entitlements under the Order by visiting the Directgov pages here.
