uniteLANDWORKER Comment


Bev Clarkson Unite national officer


Food, drink and agricultural sector


BARGAINING RIGHTS IN FOOD Back in October Unite welcomed the


Budget boost for low waged


Although Landworker was disappointed there was no reinstatement of the English agricultural wages board in October’s budget (or similar) – the Chancellor has put up the national living wage.


Following the Budget, farm workers on the national living wage, will see their pay packets go up by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 from April 1, 2025.


Chancellor Rachel Reeves said this would mean an annual increase of over £1,400 for each full-time worker, aged 21 or older.


For 18–20-year-olds the minimum wage will rise £10 an hour, and an 18 per cent increase will apply in apprenticeship rates of £7.55, both from next April.


So some good news here for low paid and young workers.


But according to reports in the industry’s press, some growers believe the wage increases would load much of the cost onto the fresh produce industry.


Jack Ward, British Growers’ Association CEO, told Farmers Weekly the increase will mean employers will end up having to lift pay for the entire workforce, with pay differentials often based on the lowest paid.


“Growers will be looking to see how these costs can be shared across the supply chain because there isn’t sufficient margin within the production process alone to absorb those costs.”


Ali Capper, grower and chairman of trade body British Apples and Pears, agreed, adding the 6.7 per cent rise on what represents between 40 per cent and 70 per cent of turnover for growers was “very significant and was more than the sector was anticipating.”


5 uniteLANDWORKER Autumn 2024


publication of the government’s employment rights bill as a step forward for workers – but expressed concern it stops short of making work pay.


Positives from the bill including new individual rights and cancelling unjust laws like the Minimum Service Levels Act are great. But we’ve had to flag up issues such as the failure to ban zero hours contracts, ‘fire and rehire’ and expanding collective bargaining. And the opportunity to bring in collective bargaining in the food sector has been swerved.


In this edition you’ll see an incredible number of FDA colleagues – around 1,300 Unite members – take strike action over low wages at Bakkavor and fire and rehire at Oscar Mayer Wrexham. We salute their courage and stand with them in solidarity.


Many of these members are recent recruits to the union, many of these members are migrant workers. They’ve been impressed by the power of Unite and have joined us – but their collective bargaining rights should be enshrined in law.


Unite is a campaigning union and we will prove the importance of collective bargaining in this sector.


And as we go to press colleagues at Princes have voted for strike action.


Of course, at the end of October we had the Budget. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU), celebrity farmers and many others were concerned about paying inheritance tax saying it would be the end of many family farms and threatened food security. Many added the increased wages bill didn’t help.


The government disputed these claims. Either way we’ll all end up paying more for our food. My main concern is for any farm worker reading this that might be feeling their livelihood and/or home could be at risk.


If this is you please contact your nearest regional office (see page 39 for details) or email mila.fernandes@unitetheunion.org for help.


Alamy


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