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| Labour calls for Aricultural Wages Board not to be abolished | |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| MPs are debating the government's proposed abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board. | |
| Ministers and the National Farmers Union say the quango, which sets rates of pay for labourers and managers, is obsolete and wasteful. | Ministers and the National Farmers Union say the quango, which sets rates of pay for labourers and managers, is obsolete and wasteful. |
| But Labour, bringing the Commons debate, argues that getting rid of it will lead to a "race to the bottom", lowering rural wages. | But Labour, bringing the Commons debate, argues that getting rid of it will lead to a "race to the bottom", lowering rural wages. |
| The board sets pay levels for 153,000 workers in England and Wales. | The board sets pay levels for 153,000 workers in England and Wales. |
| It will be abolished if the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill gains Royal Assent in its present form. | It will be abolished if the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill gains Royal Assent in its present form. |
| For Labour, shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said this would mean "lower wages for farm workers and take £260m out of village high streets over 10 years. Abolition will lead to a race to the bottom in rural wages, hitting living standards and increasing social deprivation. " | For Labour, shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said this would mean "lower wages for farm workers and take £260m out of village high streets over 10 years. Abolition will lead to a race to the bottom in rural wages, hitting living standards and increasing social deprivation. " |
| She told MPs workers would "see their wages eroded over time". | |
| Conservative James Paice, a former agriculture minister, said there was no "evidence" to back up this assertion, but Ms Creagh insisted the abolition of the board would take money "out of workers' pockets". | |
| But ministers say that, with the minimum wage already in place, there is no need for the board, and that closing it will cut public spending at a difficult time for the economy. | But ministers say that, with the minimum wage already in place, there is no need for the board, and that closing it will cut public spending at a difficult time for the economy. |