NI announces plans to abolish agricultural wages board
The Northern Ireland Assembly has announced a proposal to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB), which has set farmworker pay rates since the early 1900s.
Launching a consultation on the abolition, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) minister Edwin Poots said the AWB had become outmoded.
“Agricultural wage-setting and the AWB stem from a time when government intervention was necessary.
“It was needed to create a stable production and food supply amid two world wars and when there was less protection for workers,” Mr Poots said.
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But he said farming and employment law had undergone significant change that greatly improved areas of minimum wages, holiday entitlements and sick pay.
“Later this year, after the consultation, I will bring forward proposals to the assembly to consider abolishing the agricultural wages framework,” Mr Poots said.
Agriculture would then be brought within wider employment legislation such as the national minimum wage (NMW) and national living wage (NLW).
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said it supported the plans to abolish the AWB.
Union deputy president David Brown said the move would reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on agricultural businesses.
The NLW rate has rapidly increased since its introduction in 2016, while the age from which workers will become eligible has come down to 23 since April 2021.
Pay bands and conditions within the legislation had become out of step with AWB rates, Mr Brown said.
“This brings into question the very existence and relevance of the AWB in NI,” he added.
Further information
The closing date for responses to the consultation is 8 July 2021
Responses can be made online on the Daera consultation page and the Citizen Space website or via email: awbconsultation@daera-ni.gov.uk.