Rise for British farm workers

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 15

Rise for British farm workers

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

LONDON, November 1.

New Zealand farm workers tempted by offers of employment in Britain can take some heart from a new industrial award negotiated in London.

But the record increase of £3.30—0r 20 per cent—in the minimum weekly wage for agricultural workers in England and Wales has not been accepted gladly by either the men’s union or the Government.

After 11 hours of talks, the Agricultural Wages Board agreed to a new award which gives adult workers a minimum weekly wage of £19.50 (about $39). The new rates were immediately opposed by the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers, which had claimed an increase of £B.BO a week, and had proposed, unsuccessfully, to reduce the present 42-hour working week to 40 hours. The union’s representatives on the wages board had gone

into the talks backed by a conference resolution supporting direct action if a minimum weekly wage of £2O was not obtained.

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr James Prior) said simply that he, too, was disappointed, but for a different reason: the Government is at present grappling with the unions generally, in an endeavour to introduce antiinflationary wage and price restraints.

The National Farmers’ Union says that the new wage rates will add £som to food production costs when ithe award comes into effect inext January. More than 300,000 farm workers in England and Wales are expected to benefit from the new rates.