NFU Scotland demands agricultural wages board axe

NFU Scotland has called for the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) to be scrapped within 12 months, arguing the system is undermining the competitiveness of Scottish farming.

The demand was made at the Royal Highland Show in Ingliston, where union leaders said Scotland’s agricultural sector remains subject to employment rules that were abolished in England when its Agricultural Wages Board was scrapped in 2013.

Speaking at an NFU Scotland (NFUS) briefing on Thursday 18 June, vice-president Robert Neill said Scottish growers face higher labour costs than competitors elsewhere in Britain.

See also: Northern Ireland farmworkers set for pay rise

“Fruit pickers in Angus are paying more for seasonal labour than their counterparts south of the border,” he said.

Mr Neill also questioned why young workers entering the industry must receive the same minimum rate as more experienced staff under the current system.

“Why, for me, as an employer, would I take on a 16-year-old school leaver and have to pay them the same amount of money in wages as a 26-year-old, or a 30-year-old man or woman, who have got the experience, all the certificates, everything in place to allow them to go out in the field and do these jobs?”

NFU Scotland’s Robert Neill, Andrew Connon and Duncan Macalister © MAG/Philip Case

He added: “Taking on a 16- or 17-year-old straight out of school needs mentoring and that comes at a cost to me as an employer. It’s about encouraging the next generation to learn, to upskill and move up the ladder throughout their working career.”

The agricultural wages regime is significant for younger workers because 16- and 17-year-olds on Scottish farms are entitled to the full £12.71 hourly rate, rather than the lower age-related minimum wage that applies in most other sectors.

Wider protections

NFUS policy director Jonnie Hall said the board duplicates wider employment protections and increases costs for employers already facing higher national insurance contributions.

“Yet the agricultural industry in Scotland is still stuck in the dark ages with this wages board. We have been calling for its abolition for years and we’re revisiting that,” he added.

The union argues the system places Scottish farms at a competitive disadvantage because employers elsewhere in the UK generally operate under national minimum wage legislation without additional sector-specific wage rules.

Critics, however, say the board provides enhanced protections on overtime, qualifications, allowances and conditions that go beyond the statutory minimum.

NFU Scotland is urging the Scottish government to dismantle the SAWB and bring agriculture into line with other sectors.

A Scottish government spokesman said: “The Scottish Agricultural Wage Board is an autonomous body and, as such, there are no current plans for a review or intention of interfering with its function.”