Agricultural Wages Board abolition – Farming Life

It was recently revealed by DAERA that officials are working to bring forward legislation to progress with plans to do away with the AWB.

UFU deputy president David Brown said: The AWB was introduced in Northern Ireland (NI) when trade boards were common and it was established to set a minimum wage for agri workers. However, in recent times it has been overtaken by the duplication of legislation between the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW).

The NLW has rapidly increased since its introduction in 2016, rising to 9.21 per hour in 2021. Combined with the age from which workers will become eligible for the NLW being dropped from 25 to 23 in April 2021, it has decimated the grading structure that underpins the AWB. As a result, the pay of agri workers is no longer calculated by experience and levels of responsibility. These bands are essential to allow employers to pay workers based upon their qualifications and experience - both crucial to agricultural work especially in animal husbandry. This brings into question the existence and relevance of the AWB in NI. Farm businesses rely upon skilled and competent workers and our membership have always paid their farm workers a rate that guarantees this. Following abolition of the AWB, agricultural workers in NI would receive the protections afforded by wider employment law and UK minimum and national living wage rates.

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Agricultural Wages Board abolition - Farming Life