Examination of Witness (Questions 194-199)
MR PAUL
TEMPLE AND
MR JAMES
DAVIES
3 FEBRUARY 2009
Q194 Chairman: Good morning. Thank you
very much for coming in to give your evidence. You now have a
flavour of the kinds of things we are interested in and concerned
with today. Perhaps I could start with the issue of seasonal workers
in the agriculture and horticulture sectors. What is the current
shortfall of workers in these areas?
Mr Davies: We are currently looking
at about a 5,000 shortfall. We have had an increase in our Seasonal
Agricultural Workers Scheme quota for this year of 5,000, but
we feel that has only gone part of the way. It should be noted
that is very helpful, and we do operate with a constant shortage
with our clients whom we provide labour to.
Mr Temple: The NFU would point
out that that is what the stark statistics point out, that there
has been the request for this number of workers and there has
been that shortfall. We are pleased to see the extent of the SAWS
of 5,000, but as I travel around meeting farmers and growers around
the country, the one thing that is pressing on their minds is
the constant problem of filling jobs, especially in the seasonal
labour market.
Q195 Chairman: Were you disappointed
when the Government announced that it would not be raising the
restrictions for the Romanian and Bulgarian workers?
Mr Temple: No. I think it is good
that they kept them in place because, as soon as candidates have
access to other industries, they tend to apply for them, as has
resident, home labour and as have the A8 nationals from countries
closer to us. In the short term, no. In the long term, we need
to re-establish our contacts with third country nationals with
countries such as Russia and the Ukraine because, although we
were recruiting there until 2007, we have been shut down for a
year and those contacts are going.
Q196 Chairman: Since we have put
this to all the other witnesses, would you like to comment on
the phrase "British jobs for British workers"? Does
it apply to your particular centre, because clearly you seem to
be very short of them?
Mr Davies: If they want jobs,
they can have them.
Mr Temple: It is interesting that
this phrase has been dragged up and put out, and it opens up a
really useful debate, particularly from our particular area. We
have been concerned at the shortfall for not just one or two years
but several years. It does give us an opportunity in the current
economic backdrop to look at how we can promote the opportunities
within farming and horticulture but we have to be aware of the
nature of the work that is involved—and I am thinking of
what James said. Those job opportunities are there and people
do not choose to take them, even in areas of high unemployment.
Chairman: Mr Salter would like to explore
this further.
Q197 Martin Salter: Surely if you
paid them a bit better you would have no trouble in attracting
British nationals to do these jobs.
Mr Davies: Most of our clients
are paying quite well above the minimum wage—as, indeed,
legislation demands we have to because we are governed by the
Agricultural Wages Board. There are overtime rates, holiday pay
is higher
Q198 Martin Salter: Could you give
us an indication of the Agricultural Wages Board rates?
Mr Davies: If you take the grade
1 rate, which is for a standard worker who is constantly supervised,
for 39 hours he is on £5.74, which albeit only one pence
above the minimum wage—
Q199 Martin Salter: It is hardly
well above the minimum wage. Can you justify the expression "well
above the minimum wage"?
Mr Davies: But then we step into
overtime—on farms people tend to do an element of overtime—which
is time and a half for anything over eight hours per day or 39
hours per week.
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