Farm workers protest over wage changes

9:10am Friday 4th January 2013 in Countywide

Farm workers protest over wage changes Farm workers protest over wage changes

FARM workers were out in force in Oxford yesterday to protest about changes to their wage structure.

At the moment their pay is set by the Agricultural Wages Board but this is due to be scrapped by the Government and farm workers will be paid the national minimum wage.

The current set-up means farm workers are paid over six grades based on qualifications and experience with pay ranging from £6.21 an hour to £9.40 an hour.

Non-farm workers paid the national minimum wage receive £6.19 an hour.

A protest against the changes took place outside the Oxford Farming Conference in the Oxford University Examination Schools in High Street.

Steve Leniec, a farm worker from Faringdon and chairman of Unite’s agricultural sector, said: “It will be a disaster for our workers and for the rural economy.

“Farming is an industry in which we are expected to work in all weathers seven days a week and living in any rural community is more expensive.”

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Owen Paterson, who attended the conference, said: “This has long been coalition policy. We now have a minimum wage and a whole raft of employment legislation.”

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He added that he had gone in through a different door and had not seen the protesters.

Comments (6)

9:21am Fri 4 Jan 13

Bartsimpson_uk says...

Usual Tory toff, avoiding the low lifes. I'll sneak in through the back door so I don't have to justify myself.
Usual Tory toff, avoiding the low lifes. I'll sneak in through the back door so I don't have to justify myself. Bartsimpson_uk

10:13am Fri 4 Jan 13

Sandy Wimpole-Smythe says...

He added that he had gone in through a different door and had not seen the protesters.


What a wimp. They are all quite happy to take from the low paid, disabled etc but to actually face them, you must be joking.

Roll on the day when their heads are on poles around the outskirts of London as a reminder to all governments that you cannot treat the electorate like this without it biting you in the arse at some point.
He added that he had gone in through a different door and had not seen the protesters. What a wimp. They are all quite happy to take from the low paid, disabled etc but to actually face them, you must be joking. Roll on the day when their heads are on poles around the outskirts of London as a reminder to all governments that you cannot treat the electorate like this without it biting you in the arse at some point. Sandy Wimpole-Smythe

11:33am Fri 4 Jan 13

Mick Pollek says...

not only was he afraid to enter through the front door, somebody from inside had phoned the police, complaining that they were accosted by animal rights activists.
They are so angry that they can't go a-hunting and a-killing of furry animals.
not only was he afraid to enter through the front door, somebody from inside had phoned the police, complaining that they were accosted by animal rights activists. They are so angry that they can't go a-hunting and a-killing of furry animals. Mick Pollek

1:16pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Andrew:Oxford says...

Mick Pollek wrote:
not only was he afraid to enter through the front door, somebody from inside had phoned the police, complaining that they were accosted by animal rights activists.
They are so angry that they can't go a-hunting and a-killing of furry animals.
Agricultural workers aren't usually anti-hunt... In fact, I'd say that of all the game-keepers I've ever spoken to - none were anti-hunt.
[quote][p][bold]Mick Pollek[/bold] wrote: not only was he afraid to enter through the front door, somebody from inside had phoned the police, complaining that they were accosted by animal rights activists. They are so angry that they can't go a-hunting and a-killing of furry animals.[/p][/quote]Agricultural workers aren't usually anti-hunt... In fact, I'd say that of all the game-keepers I've ever spoken to - none were anti-hunt. Andrew:Oxford

6:46pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Ivan Monckton says...

Two messages
1 Paterson is lying. It is NOT longstanding coalition policy to abolish AWB. It was not in coalition agreement, it was not in Lib Dems manifesto. In fact, David Heath, Lib Dem minister who decided to abolish after his own deeply flawed "consultation" showed a big majority to oppose abolition, is on record as supporting an EDM to oppose abolition.
2 Gamekeepers are NOT farmworkers.
Two messages 1 Paterson is lying. It is NOT longstanding coalition policy to abolish AWB. It was not in coalition agreement, it was not in Lib Dems manifesto. In fact, David Heath, Lib Dem minister who decided to abolish after his own deeply flawed "consultation" showed a big majority to oppose abolition, is on record as supporting an EDM to oppose abolition. 2 Gamekeepers are NOT farmworkers. Ivan Monckton

7:35pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Andrew:Oxford says...

Ivan Monckton wrote:
Two messages
1 Paterson is lying. It is NOT longstanding coalition policy to abolish AWB. It was not in coalition agreement, it was not in Lib Dems manifesto. In fact, David Heath, Lib Dem minister who decided to abolish after his own deeply flawed "consultation" showed a big majority to oppose abolition, is on record as supporting an EDM to oppose abolition.
2 Gamekeepers are NOT farmworkers.
If there's red diesel in the land rover and it doesn't leave the esate...

It's agriculture.
[quote][p][bold]Ivan Monckton[/bold] wrote: Two messages 1 Paterson is lying. It is NOT longstanding coalition policy to abolish AWB. It was not in coalition agreement, it was not in Lib Dems manifesto. In fact, David Heath, Lib Dem minister who decided to abolish after his own deeply flawed "consultation" showed a big majority to oppose abolition, is on record as supporting an EDM to oppose abolition. 2 Gamekeepers are NOT farmworkers.[/p][/quote]If there's red diesel in the land rover and it doesn't leave the esate... It's agriculture. Andrew:Oxford

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