Agriculture is not as big as it once was but remains important. It used to be considered that the Conservatives had cornered countryside issues but their fumbling over forestry alienated many who value rural life and now we have depressing news about moves that will needlessly hit farm workers.
The Government is scrapping the Agricultural Wages Board which sets wages and conditions for farm workers including 3,360 in the North East. Blaydon has the biggest rural area within Tyne and Wear.
Overall the Board protects 152,000 farm workers in England and Wales and ensures that people working in the countryside, from apprentices to farm managers get a fair deal. Without that protection, farm workers will be worse off.
The Board provides basic pay and protection for fruit pickers, farm labourers and foresters, including on wages, holidays, sick pay, overtime and bereavement leave.
The Government should be raising standards for farm workers, not engaging in a race to the bottom about pay and fair treatment.
According to government figures, the abolition of the Board will take £9 million out of the rural high street from holiday and sick pay alone.
42,000 casual workers could see a wage cut when they finish their next job and the wages of the rest could be eroded over time.
Children - who do summer jobs or part-time jobs - currently receive £3.05p an hour but are not covered by the National Minimum Wage and so will have no wage protection for holiday or weekend work.
This retrograde step goes further than even Mrs Thatcher dared. The Liberal Democrats should hang their heads in shame for voting for it, although their spokesman said they opposed the abolition of the Board - a sign of great weakness. The Liberal Democrats said they were against abolition but once again they said one thing and did another.
Farming families are already feeling the squeeze from the Government's cuts. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that living costs in rural areas are 10-20% higher than in urban areas, due to high petrol costs, lack of affordable housing, cuts to public transport and few accessible jobs.
Rural amenities and fairness for farming folk should be protected. A campaign is up and running at www.backtheapple.com
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
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