Agricultural Wages Board: Membership
The Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) is composed of:
- eight members representing employers who are nominated by the National Farmers' Union;
- eight members representing workers who are nominated by the Rural Agricultural and Allied Workers' Trade Group of the Transport and General Workers' Union; and
- five independent members (including the Chairman) who are appointed jointly by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The representative members are expected to promote the interests of the sector which they have been appointed to represent.
The independent members must have no direct agricultural interest or connection with employers of agricultural labour or agricultural workers. Nor may they belong to the organisations that nominate the representative members, viz. the National Farmers' Union or the Transport and General Workers' Union.
The AWB meets each year, usually in mid to late spring to determine the minimum rates of pay for the coming year, and to consider other changes to the terms and conditions set out in the Wages Order. These negotiations consider the Workers' claim and a formal response from the Employers' Side.
A lot of hard bargaining takes place at the meeting which continues until a package of proposals has been put together and formally adopted by majority vote. The proposals are then advertised and comments are invited. A one-day meeting is held not less than a month later to consider the objections. If the Board is satisfied that no fundamental changes are needed to its proposals, it confirms the Order.
The Board is constrained in its decisions by general employment law, and in recent years it has been required to make a number of changes to the Wages Order to take account of new employment law. These, and other complex issues, are usually discussed at a Working Party before being returned to the Board for consideration and a decision.
Independents
- Mr D Evans (Chairman)
- Dr H Billot
- Mr J Magee
- Dr L Walford
- Mr C Simpson
Employers
- Mr R J Fiddaman
- Mr C Bourns
- Mr J Grant
- Mr D Jarman
- Mr M Raymond
- Mr R Pascal
- Mrs C Suarez
- Mr J Potter
Workers
- Mr C Kaufman
- Mr M Belsey
- Mr R Graham
- Mr S Leniec
- Mrs T Mackay
- Mr I Monckton
- Ms K Powell
- Mr D Week
Page last modified:
7 August 2007
Page published: 22 March 2005