The Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales has reviewed its package of improvements to rates and conditions that are to take effect from 1 October 2004 in the light of representations that the overall increase in labour costs would be unsustainable or lead to job losses. For details of the original package, see the newsletter of 2 July.

As a result, the following changes have been made:

• the holiday entitlements will be left unchanged - the proposal had been to increase entitlements by one day
  
  
• the maximum period to which the Manual Harvest Worker rates apply remain unchanged at 30 weeks in any Manual Harvest Work Period - the proposal had been to reduce this period to 26 weeks.

The following misunderstandings expressed in some representations were also clarified:

• the 7.8% increase to the Manual Harvest Worker minimum rate mirrors the similar increase in the National Minimum Wage from 1 October 2004
  
  
• e workers' contracts lead to them being paid above the appropriate minimum wage, the Agricultural Wages Order does not require this premium to be maintained when the new rates come into effect.

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...back to 6 August 2004

Sources:
www.defra.gov.uk/news/awb/0204awb.htm