Pay talks for 2005/6 commence

THE TRANSPORT and General Workers Union has said that farmworkers earn on average £2/hr less than their counterparts in the building industry.

Speaking as pay negotiations with the NFU started on Tues (Jun 7), T&G chief negotiator Chris Kaufman said this was why the union was seeking a new pay and grading structure.

“We want to end the stampede of young people out of farming and lead the charge for a modern, properly valued and rewarded industry,” he said.

“Farmers, in particular, have been getting skilled work on the cheap for too long.”

The key points of the T&G’s claim are:

• A £1 increase on the standard rate to £6.40 an hour
• A new ‘standard plus’ rate of £7.36 an hour
• The craft rate to be set at a minimum of £8 an hour
• 25 days annual holiday
• A reduction in the working week to 38 hours
• The introduction of a pension scheme
• Help with Council Tax of £1,000 a year for those in tied accommodation.