Agricultural Wages Board Explained

The Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) was a non-departmental government body which regulated minimum wages for farm workers in England and Wales under the Agricultural Wages Act 1948, until it was abolished in the Conservative led government's "bonfire of the quangos" after the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (ERRA).

History

The Agricultural Wages Board was re-established in 1948, by the Agricultural Wages Act 1948, after it had been abolished by the Agriculture Act 1920. The Macdonald ministry had attempted to restore the Board through Agricultural Wages (Regulation) Act 1924.

Bonfire of the quangos

In 2013, during the so-called "bonfire of the quangos" by the Cameron–Clegg government, the AWB was one of many governmental bodies listed to be abolished by the ERRA.^[1]

The move was supported by the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats. As well, the National Farmers' Union, which had lobbied against the AWB since it's formation, also supported the AWB's abolition.^{[2] [3]}

The move was opposed by Unite the Union, and the Labour Party.^{[4] [5]} Unite's General Secretary Len McCluskey said the AWB's abolition would drive pay down further, at the benefit of supermarkets. Liberal Democrats' Spokesman for Agriculture Andrew George^{[6] [7]} was one of two Lib Dem rebels who voted for a pro-AWB amendment to the ERRA.^[8] George described the plans for abolition as regrettable, and stated it would damage the pay and conditions of agricultural workers.

Welsh Assembly court case

In August that year, the Welsh Assembly passed the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Bill in an attempt to maintain a regulatory body within Wales for agricultural wages. Despite the bill passing in the Assembly, it was blocked by then UK Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, who claimed it was not a devolved matter.^[9] The dispute went to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of the Welsh Assembly.^{[10] [11] [12]} The bill entered into law as the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014 (anaw 6), and resulted in the creation of the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales.^[13]

Board composition

The Agricultural Wages Board consisted of 21 members and was appointed as such:^[14]

• 8 nominated by Unite the Union to represent agricultural workers
• 8 nominated by the National Farmers' Union to represent agricultural employers
• 5 independent members (including the board chairman) appointed by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government

Counterparts

Each of the devolved countries in the United Kingdom currently maintains a counterpart to the AWB:

• the Scottish Government maintains the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board
• the Stormont government's DAERA maintains the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland
• and the Welsh Government maintains the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales

See also

• UK labour law
• National Minimum Wage Act 1998

Notes and References

1. News: 24 April 2013 . Labour calls for Agricultural Wages Board not to be abolished . BBC News.
2. News: Monbiot . George . George Monbiot . 8 July 2013 . The National Farmers' Union secures so much public cash yet gives nothing back . 26 June 2024 . The Guardian . 0261-3077.
3. Web site: MPs urged to continue support on AWB abolition . 26 June 2024 . www.nfuonline.com.
4. Web site: 20 December 2012 . AWB's abolition another government assault on workers . https://web.archive.org/web/20130501051720/http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/awbsabolitionanothergovernmentassaultonworkers/ . 1 May 2013 . 12 July 2024 . www.unitetheunion.org.
5. Web site: 2012-12-22 . UK: Abolition of Agricultural Wages Board slammed by union as “assault on working people” . 2024-07-12 . East Anglian Daily Times . en.
6. Web site: About . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402164646/http://www.andrewgeorge.org.uk/about/ . 2 April 2015 . 24 March 2015 . Andrew George MP.
7. Web site: 2010-09-27 . Lib Dems deny Tory farm policy rift . 2024-06-26 . Farmers Weekly . en-US.
8. Web site: Abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board . 2024-07-12 . www.publicwhip.org.uk.
9. News: 2013-08-13 . Farm wages bill blocked by UK Attorney General . 2024-07-12 . BBC News . en-GB.
10. News: 2014-02-17 . Wages row affecting Welsh farmers reaches Supreme Court . 2024-07-12 . BBC News . en-GB.
11. News: 2014-07-09 . Ministers can protect farm wages following court ruling . 2024-07-12 . BBC News . en-GB.
12. Agricultural Sector (Wales) Bill - Reference by the Attorney General for England and Wales. UKSC 43. Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. 2014. https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2013-0188-judgment.pdf.
13. act. 2014. Education (Wales) Act 2014.
14. Web site: 5 September 2012 . The Agricultural Wages (England and Wales) Order 2012: A guide for workers and employers . 15 July 2024 . assets.publishing.service.gov.uk . United Kingdom Government.