§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate what proportion of the differential in timber production costs between the Baltic States and the United Kingdom is attributable to lower wages. [74149]
§ Mr. Wilson[holding answer 2 March 1999]: Recent information from UK industry sources, consistent with official data, indicates that in the UK an average wage in a modern sawmill is approximately an hourly rate of £7 (including employers' costs).
Information from official statistical sources in the Baltic States indicates that the daily average rates in the Baltic States industry are in the range of £7–11 (including employers' costs). However, information from UK industry sources suggests that wage rates in some individual mills, such as modern sawmills, may be somewhat higher. The range of £7–11 is broadly consistent with International Labour Organisation estimates for wages in the much broader agriculture and timber products industries in the Baltic States.