The Horticulture Board of the National Farmers’ Union has dubbed “reasonable” the settlement reached between unions and the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) over the 2006 agricultural wages order.
“With the state of the sector at the moment, any increase is disappointing,” said board chairman Richard Hirst. “But I think in the present climate it is a reasonable settlement.”
After three days of tough negotiations between the NFU and the Transport & General Workers’ Union, the two unions agreed a pay increase of 2.9 per cent for grade two workers bringing the statutory rate of pay to £5.74 per hour. Other new statutory rates are:
grade one £5.35 an hour, grade three: £6.31, grade four: £6.77, grade five £7.18 and grade six, £7.75.
“We are quite pleased with the abolition of overtime on a Sunday,” said Hirst as this recognizes the seven-day supermarket opening hours.”
Other highlights are an opportunity for career progression in the structure and the two unions also agreed an extra day’s holiday for workers - bringing the statutory total to 23 days.
The AWB also agreed to a pro rata allocation of Bank Holidays for part-time workers and a paternity, maternity and adoption grant of £50 at birth or adoption will replace the current provisions.
In addition age differentials at grade one have been removed, traineeship and apprenticeship provisions have been reformed and grade four’s competency structures have been completed.
“Crucially, one of our concerns was that grade one would stay in line with the national minimum wage rate, which it has done,” said Hirst. “In general I think it is a fair settlement for big users of labour such as soft-fruit growers and those with big cutting and planting operations. It should work well for them.”
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