Agricultural workers

General union Unite said ministers have a moral duty to inform the 150,000 agricultural workers in England and Wales of the impact on their pay and housing once the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) is abolished on 1 October.

From this date, the National Minimum Wage will replace the current higher rates of pay, and it is estimated that there are about 60,000 agricultural workers and managers in accommodation provided by their employer who will also lose their security of tenure.

Unite officers were due to meet with officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss what the union described as “the harsh mechanics” of the AWB’s demise.

The union has welcomed the announcement by the Welsh government that it is kick-starting a consultation to consider setting up an AWB in Wales.