VIDEO: DEFRA shadow secretary hits out at farm wages plan
Shadow DEFRA secretary Mary Creagh has hit out at the government’s plan to press ahead with the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB).
Farmworkers would lose vital income if the board was scrapped, she told Farmers Weekly. Her comments came as the union Unite warned the government it could be acting unlawfully after embarking on a “quickie” four-week consultation to scrap the AWB.
Ms Creagh said she supported the trade union’s view that the government should extend the consultation period, which ended on 12 November, to allow interested organisations to make the case for the AWB’s retention.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Our legal advisers are reviewing the extent to which the government’s approach to this consultation has been lawful.”
Unite claims 150,000 workers rely on the AWB for a decent income and that its loss would increase rural poverty.
Speedy axe of wages board may be illegal
Have your say on our forum