Farm workers keep protection of board


The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) will continue to protect the rights of low paid farm workers in Scotland, rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead has announced. 


The decision follows a review and public consultation on the future of the body, which has the power to set minimum pay rates, holiday entitlement and certain other conditions of service for agricultural workers in Scotland. 


A Scottish Government analysis found evidence that scrapping the board would drive down wages, particularly for young apprentices and migrant workers.


It also found no evidence that abolishing the board would help create more jobs in farming. On the contrary, agricultural job growth in Scotland has outpaced that of England, where the wages board there was abolished in 2013 leading to a fall in wages for the lowest-paid agricultural workers.


The Unite general union welcomed the decision. Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: “The SAWB is a bulwark against the type of exploitations that could prevail in its absence. We need to strengthen standards within the board and in particular the pursuit of a living wage rate of pay for workers, so we can begin building sustainable growth in local economies across rural Scotland.”

http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Protecting-the-rights-of-low-paid-workers-20b5.aspx

www.unitetheunion.org/news/unite-welcomes-sensible-decision-to-retain-agricultural-wages-board