Wages board proposes 8.5% hike for NI farmworkers
© mrallen/Adobe Stock Wage rates for farmworkers in Northern Ireland are set to increase by 8.5% from 1 April this year.
The proposed rates are set by the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland (AWB) in January each year and are then subjected to review and consultation.
Providing there are no valid objections, the rates will become law from 1 April.
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Proposed hourly rates from 1 April 2023 |
|
| First 40 weeks cumulative employment | £7.54 |
| Grade 2 – Standard worker | £8.13 |
| Grade 3 – Lead worker | £10.16 |
| Grade 4 – Craft Grade | £10.92 |
| Grade 5 – Supervisory Grade |
£11.49 |
| Grade 6 – Farm Management Grade |
£12.48 |
However, workers will revert to the UK-wide National Minimum Wage (NMW) or, if applicable, the National Living Wage (NLW), if it is higher than the wage board rate.
That means while the lowest rate of pay, at £7.54/hour, is above the NMW for 16-21-year-olds, workers above that age bracket would revert to the national minimum set.
This will pay £10.18/hour for 21-22 year olds and £10.42/hour for those over 23.
In addition to the wage rises, the board has proposed increasing the accommodation offset by 8.5% to £51.27 a week.
This figure is used by managers to calculate a monetary value for accommodation provided to farmworkers as part of their remuneration package.
The board has also proposed a three-day bereavement leave period following the death of a worker’s close family member.
Proposed pay rises are yet to be announced in Scotland and Wales, where wage boards still operate. The wage board in England was scrapped in 2013 and so staff must be paid at least the NMW or NLW rates.
Have your say
Objections to the proposed rates in NI should arrive on or before Friday 10 March 2023.
Post: AWB Secretariat, 2nd Floor, Jubilee House, 111 Ballykelly Road, Limavady, BT49 9HO.