Agricultural Wages (Hansard, 19 December 1972)

§ 5. Mr. Dalyell
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his latest discussions with the National Farmers' Union on the level of agricultural wages.

§ Mr. Godber
When I saw the President of the National Farmers' Union on 28th November I explained to him why I have felt it necessary to make an order suspending the operation of the board's award during the current standstill.

§ Mr. Dalyell
Are Mr. Henry Plumb or Mr. Reg Bottini to expect the kind of letter Lord Cooper received from the Prime Minister?

§ Mr. Godber
There is no need for them to expect a letter, because I have seen both Mr. Bottini and Mr. Plumb and explained the precise position to them. It is that we have laid an order which nullifies the Agricultural Wages Board award until the end of the standstill.

§ Mr. Buchan
Can the right hon. Gentleman give us an assurance that we shall be able to discuss the order as soon as possible after the recess? Is he aware that the Scottish award was first deferred, then lowered and then, despite the firmest of promises by the employers, frozen? Has not he put the employers into a ludicrous and embarrassing situation? They want to see the award given. Each of the wages awards could be exempted from the period of the standstill.

§ Mr. Godber
We debated the matter fully during the passage of the legislation. I must leave it to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to 1102 reply to the specific Scottish points. The position in England and Wales is precisely as I have stated it and as it was debated in the House.

§ Mr. Mackie
Is the Minister aware that it would cost between £800,000 and £900,000 to pay the increase to farm workers and that between the beginning of the freeze and last week—I think that the figures are higher now—beef prices have risen by £4 a live hundredweight? That represents £2½ million a week coming into the industry. Is there not something unfair about that situation?

Mr. Goner
No, Sir. It must be seen in the context of the general standstill. As I explained in the debate on the matter, it is impossible to distinguish between the substantial claims of the farm workers and the substantial claims of other categories who are also ruled out without being unfair to some other categories. Therefore, the Government felt that we could not vary the standstill order for any particular group of workers.