Welsh Statutory Instruments
2024 No. 390 (W. 69)
Agriculture, Wales
The Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2024
Made
15 March 2024
Laid before Senedd Cymru
19 March 2024
Coming into force
1 April 2024
The Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales, in accordance with their functions under article 3(2)(b) of the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales (Establishment) Order 2016(1) have prepared an agricultural wages order in draft, consulted on the order and submitted it to the Welsh Ministers for approval.
The Welsh Ministers have approved the draft agricultural wages order in accordance with section 4(1)(a) of the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014(2).
The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by sections 3, 4(1) and 17 of the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014, make the following Order.
PART 1Preliminary
Title and commencement
1. The title of this Order is the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2024 and it comes into force on 1 April 2024.
Interpretation
2.—(1) In this Order—
“agriculture” (“amaethyddiaeth”) includes—
dairy farming;
the production of any consumable produce for the purposes of a trade or business or any other undertaking (whether carried on for profit or not);
the use of land as grazing, meadow or pasture land;
the use of land for orchards, osier land or woodland;
the use of land for market gardens or nursery grounds;
“agricultural worker” (“gweithiwr amaethyddol”) means a person employed in agriculture in Wales, whether or not the whole of the work undertaken by virtue of that employment is undertaken in Wales;
“apprenticeship framework” (“fframwaith prentisiaethau”) means any of the current Apprenticeship Frameworks for the agricultural sector in Wales published by Lantra(3) on or before the date that this Order comes into force, or previous versions of the Apprenticeship Frameworks for the agricultural sector in Wales published by Lantra;
“basic hours” (“oriau sylfaenol”) means 39 hours of work per week, excluding overtime, worked in accordance with either an agricultural worker’s contract or an apprenticeship;
“birth and adoption grant” (“grant geni a mabwysiadu”) means a payment that an agricultural worker is entitled to receive from their employer on the birth of their child or upon the adoption of a child and is payable—
where the agricultural worker has given their employer a copy of the child’s Birth Certificate or Adoption Order (naming the worker as the child’s parent or adoptive parent) within 3 months of the child’s birth or adoption; and
in circumstances where both parents or adoptive parents are agricultural workers with the same employer, to each agricultural worker;
“child” (“plentyn”) has the meaning given in section 80EA of the Employment Rights Act 1996(4). A child will be the child of an agricultural worker if the agricultural worker satisfies the conditions specified in regulation 4(2) of the Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020.
“consumable produce” (“cynnyrch defnyddiadwy”) means produce grown for consumption or for other use after severance from the land on which it is grown;
“employment” (“cyflogaeth”) means individuals engaged as employees, workers, agency workers and workers employed by gangmasters and “employed” (“a gyflogir”) and “employer” (“cyflogwr”) are to be construed accordingly;
“guaranteed overtime” (“goramser gwarantedig”) means overtime which an agricultural worker is obliged to work either under their contract or their apprenticeship and in respect of which the agricultural worker’s employer guarantees payment, whether or not there is work for the agricultural worker to do;
“hours” (“oriau”) includes a fraction of an hour;
“night work” (“gwaith nos”) means work (apart from overtime hours) undertaken by an agricultural worker between 7 p.m. on one evening and 6 a.m. the following morning, but excluding the first two hours of work that an agricultural worker does in that period;
“normal weekly pay” (“cyflog wythnosol arferol”) means—
payments, including commission payments, which are intrinsically linked to the performance of tasks which an agricultural worker is obliged to carry out under the terms of their contract;
payments for professional or personal status relating to length of service, seniority or professional qualifications;
other payments, such as overtime payments, which have been regularly paid to a worker in the 52 weeks preceding the calculation date.
“on-call” (“ar alwad”) means a formal arrangement between the agricultural worker and their employer where an agricultural worker who is not at work agrees with their employer to be contactable by an agreed method and able to reach the place where they may be required to work within an agreed time;
“output work” (“gwaith allbwn”) means work which, for the purposes of remuneration, is measured by the number of pieces made or processed or the number of tasks performed by an agricultural worker;
“overtime” (“goramser”) means—
in relation to an agricultural worker who began their employment prior to 1 October 2006, time that is not guaranteed overtime worked by the agricultural worker—
in addition to an 8 hour working day,
in addition to the agreed hours of work in their contract,
on a public holiday,
on a Sunday, or
in any period commencing on a Sunday and continuing to the following Monday up until the time that worker would normally start their working day;
in relation to all other agricultural workers, time that is not guaranteed overtime worked by the agricultural worker—
in addition to an 8 hour working day,
in addition to the agreed hours of work in their contract, or
on a public holiday;
“qualifying days” (“diwrnodau cymwys”) means days on which the agricultural worker would normally be required to be available for work including days on which the agricultural worker—
was taking annual leave,
was taking bereavement leave,
was taking statutory maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or
was on a period of sickness absence;
“sickness absence” (“absenoldeb salwch”) means the absence of an agricultural worker from work due to incapacity by reason of—
any illness suffered by the agricultural worker,
illness or incapacity caused by the agricultural worker’s pregnancy or suffered as a result of childbirth,
an injury that occurs to the agricultural worker at the agricultural worker’s place of work,
an injury that occurs to the agricultural worker when travelling to or from their place of work,
time spent by the agricultural worker recovering from an operation caused by an illness, or
time spent by the agricultural worker recovering from an operation in consequence of an injury suffered at their place of work or an injury suffered whilst travelling to or from their place of work,
but does not include any injury suffered by the agricultural worker when not at their place of work nor any injury suffered when the agricultural worker is not travelling to or from their place of work;
“the national minimum wage” (“isafswm cyflog cenedlaethol”) has the meaning given by section 10 of the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014;
“travelling” (“teithio”) means a journey by a mode of transport or a journey on foot and includes—
waiting at a place of departure to begin a journey by a mode of transport,
waiting at a place of departure for a journey to re-commence either by the same or another mode of transport, except for any time the agricultural worker spends taking a rest break, and
waiting at the end of a journey for the purpose of carrying out duties, or to receive training, except for any time the agricultural worker spends taking a rest break;
“working time” (“amser gweithio”) has the meaning given in regulation 2 of the Working Time Regulations 1998(5) and for the purposes of this Order includes—
any time spent travelling by an agricultural worker for the purposes of their employment but does not include time spent commuting between their home and their place of work,
any period during which an agricultural worker is prevented from carrying out activities or duties in accordance with their contract or their apprenticeship due to bad weather,
and references to “work” (“gwaith”) are to be construed accordingly.
(2) In this article the reference to agricultural workers who began their employment prior to the 1 October 2006 includes agricultural workers—
(a)whose contract terms have since been subject to any variation; or
(b)who have since been employed by a new employer pursuant to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006(6).
(3) References in this Order to a period of continuous employment are to be construed as a period of continuous employment computed in accordance with sections 210 to 219 of the Employment Rights Act 1996(7).
PART 2Agricultural workers
Terms and conditions of employment
3. An agricultural worker’s employment is subject to the terms and conditions set out in this Part and Parts 3, 4 and 5 of this Order.
Grades and categories of agricultural worker
4. An agricultural worker must be employed as a worker at one of the Grades specified in articles 5 to 9 or as an apprentice in accordance with the provisions in article 10.
Agricultural Development Worker Grade A
5. An agricultural worker who—
(a)has less than 3 years practical experience which is relevant to their role in agriculture, and
(b)cannot provide documentary evidence to an employer that they have been awarded the main qualification or qualifications required for a level 2 apprenticeship which is relevant to their role in agriculture, in accordance with the apprenticeship framework, or have met the requirements of a level 2 or equivalent apprenticeship, from outside Wales, as specified in Schedule 4 which is relevant to their role in agriculture,
must be employed as an Agricultural Development Worker Grade A.
Agricultural Worker Grade B
6. An agricultural worker who—
(a)provides documentary evidence to an employer that they have been awarded the main qualification or qualifications required for a level 2 apprenticeship, which must be relevant to their role in agriculture, in accordance with the apprenticeship framework, or have met the requirements of a level 2 or equivalent apprenticeship, from outside Wales, as specified in Schedule 4 which must be relevant to their role in agriculture, or
(b)has at least 3 years of practical experience in agriculture at Agricultural Development Worker Grade A,
must be employed as an Agricultural Worker Grade B.
Advanced Agricultural Worker Grade C
7.—(1) An agricultural worker who—
(a)provides documentary evidence to an employer that they have been awarded the main qualification or qualifications required for a level 3 apprenticeship, which must be relevant to their role in agriculture, in accordance with the apprenticeship framework, or have met the requirements of a level 3 or equivalent apprenticeship, from outside Wales, as specified in Schedule 4 which must be relevant to their role in agriculture,
(b)has at least 2 years of practical experience in agriculture at Agricultural Worker Grade B, or
(c)is employed as a team leader,
must be employed as an Advanced Agricultural Worker Grade C.
(2) For the purposes of this article, a “team leader” is responsible for leading a team of agricultural workers and for monitoring the team’s compliance with instructions given by or on behalf of their employer but is not responsible for disciplinary matters.
Senior Agricultural Worker Grade D
8. An agricultural worker who—
(a)provides documentary evidence to an employer they have been awarded the main qualification or qualifications required for a level 4 apprenticeship, which must be relevant to their role in agriculture, in accordance with the apprenticeship framework, or have met the requirements of a level 4 or equivalent apprenticeship, from outside Wales, as specified in Schedule 4 which must be relevant to their role in agriculture, or
(b)has responsibilities including implementing management decisions independently or supervising staff,
must be employed as a Senior Agricultural Worker Grade D.
Agricultural Manager Grade E
9. An agricultural worker who is required to have day to day responsibility, including hiring and managing staff where relevant—
(a)for the entire of the employer’s holding, or
(b)for part of the employer’s holding which is run as a separate operation or business,
must be employed as an Agricultural Manager Grade E.
Apprentices
10.—(1) An agricultural worker is an apprentice employed under an apprenticeship if they are employed under either a contract of apprenticeship or an apprenticeship agreement within the meaning of section 32 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009(8)or are treated as employed under a contract of apprenticeship.
(2) An agricultural worker must be treated as employed under a contract of apprenticeship if they are engaged in Wales under Government arrangements known as Foundation Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships or Higher Apprenticeships.
(3) In this article “Government arrangements” means arrangements made under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973(9) or under section 17B of the Jobseekers Act 1995(10).
PART 3Agricultural minimum wage
Minimum rates of pay
11.—(1) Subject to the operation of section 1 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998(11), agricultural workers must be remunerated by their employer in respect of their work at a rate which is not less than the agricultural minimum wage.
(2) The agricultural minimum wage is the minimum hourly rate specified in the Table in Schedule 1 as being applicable to each grade of agricultural worker and to apprentices.
Minimum rates of pay for overtime
12. Agricultural workers must be remunerated by their employer in respect of overtime worked at a rate which is equivalent to at least 1.5 times their basic hourly rate of pay under their contract or apprenticeship.
Minimum rates of pay for output work
13. Agricultural workers must be remunerated by their employer in respect of output work at a rate which is not less than the agricultural minimum wage specified in article 11 of, and Schedule 1 to, this Order which is applicable to their grade or category.
Protection of pay
14. Agricultural workers employed before 22 April 2022 who suffered a reduction in their minimum hourly rate as a result of their assimilation to a lower grade or category or a lower minimum rate of pay as specified in the Table in Schedule 1 of the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2022 must continue to have their pay protected so that their rate of pay is at least the rate of pay they received on 21 April 2022.
Accommodation offset allowance
15.—(1) Where in any week an employer provides an agricultural worker with a house for the whole of that week, the employer may deduct the sum of £1.79 per week from the agricultural worker’s wage payable for that week.
(2) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), where in any week an employer provides an agricultural worker with other accommodation, the employer may deduct the sum of £5.74 per day, from the agricultural worker’s wage payable for each day in the week that the other accommodation is provided to the worker.
(3) For the purposes of paragraphs (1) and (4), a “house” means a whole dwelling house or self-contained accommodation (including any garden within the curtilage of such a dwelling house or self-contained accommodation) that by virtue of the agricultural worker’s contract the agricultural worker is required to live in for the proper or better performance of their duties.
(4) For the purposes of paragraph (2), “other accommodation” means any living accommodation other than a house which―
(a)is fit for human habitation,
(b)is safe and secure,
(c)provides a bed for the sole use of each individual agricultural worker, and
(d)provides clean drinking water, suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences and washing facilities for agricultural workers in accordance with regulations 20 to 22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992(12) as if the accommodation was a workplace to which regulations 20 to 22 of those Regulations applied;
(5) The deduction in paragraph (2) may only be made when the agricultural worker has worked for a minimum of 15 hours in that week.
(6) Any time during that week when the agricultural worker is on annual leave or bereavement leave must count towards those 15 hours.
Payments which do not form part of an agricultural worker’s remuneration
16. The following allowances and payments do not form part of an agricultural worker’s remuneration—
(a)a dog allowance of £10.16 per dog to be paid weekly where an agricultural worker is required by their employer to keep one or more dogs,
(b)an on-call allowance of a sum which is equivalent to three times the hourly rate of the agricultural worker according to their grade. The on-call allowance is payable in respect of every period the agricultural worker is on-call. The period of an on-call arrangement cannot exceed 24 hours,
(c)a night work allowance of £1.93 for each hour of night work, and
(d)a birth and adoption grant of £79.86 for each child.
Training costs
17.—(1) Where an agricultural worker attends a training course with the prior agreement of their employer, the employer must pay—
(a)any fees for the course, and
(b)any travelling and accommodation expenses incurred by the agricultural worker attending the course.
(2) An agricultural worker who has been continuously employed at Grade A by the same employer for not less than 30 weeks is deemed to have received the approval of their employer to undertake training with a view to attaining the necessary qualifications required of a Grade B worker.
(3) Any training undertaken by an agricultural worker in accordance with paragraph (2), is to be paid for by the employer.
PART 4Entitlement to agricultural sick pay
Entitlement to agricultural sick pay
18. Subject to the provisions in this Part, an agricultural worker is entitled to receive agricultural sick pay from their employer in respect of their sickness absence.
Qualifying conditions for agricultural sick pay
19. An agricultural worker qualifies for agricultural sick pay under this Order provided that the agricultural worker has—
(a)been continuously employed by their employer for a period of at least 52 weeks prior to the sickness absence;
(b)notified their employer of the sickness absence in a way previously agreed with their employer or, in the absence of any such agreement, by any reasonable means;
(c)in circumstances where the sickness absence has continued for a period of 8 or more consecutive days, provided their employer with a certificate from a registered medical practitioner which discloses the diagnosis of the worker’s medical disorder and states that the disorder has caused the agricultural worker’s sickness absence.
Periods of sickness absence
20. Any 2 periods of sickness absence which are separated by a period of not more than 14 days must be treated as a single period of sickness absence.
Limitations on entitlement to agricultural sick pay
21.—(1) Agricultural sick pay will not be payable for the first 3 days sickness absence in circumstances where the duration of the sickness absence is less than 14 days.
(2) During each period of entitlement, the maximum number of weeks that an agricultural worker is entitled to agricultural sick pay is—
(a)13 weeks in the second year of employment;
(b)16 weeks in the third year of employment;
(c)19 weeks in the fourth year of employment;
(d)22 weeks in the fifth year of employment;
(e)26 weeks in the sixth and all subsequent years of employment.
(3) Where an agricultural worker works basic hours or, where applicable any guaranteed overtime, on a fixed number of days each week, the maximum number of days of agricultural sick pay that the agricultural worker is entitled to is calculated by multiplying the maximum number of weeks relevant to the agricultural worker by the number of qualifying days worked each week.
(4) Where an agricultural worker works basic hours or, where applicable any guaranteed overtime, on a varying number of days each week, the maximum number of days of agricultural sick pay that the agricultural worker is entitled to is calculated by multiplying the maximum number of weeks relevant to that worker by the number of relevant days.
(5) The number of relevant days is calculated by dividing the number of qualifying days worked during a period of 12 months leading up to the period of sickness absence by 52.
(6) An agricultural worker’s maximum entitlement to agricultural sick pay applies regardless of the number of occasions of sickness absence during any period of entitlement.
(7) Subject to paragraph (8), in this article, “a period of entitlement” is a period beginning with the commencement of a sickness absence and ending 12 months later.
(8) If the agricultural worker has a period of sickness absence which commences at any time during the period of entitlement described in paragraph (7), but which continues beyond the end of that period of entitlement, the period of entitlement must be extended so as to end on whichever of the following first occurs—
(a)the date when the agricultural worker’s sickness absence ends and the agricultural worker returns to work, or
(b)the day on which the agricultural worker reaches the maximum entitlement to agricultural sick pay applicable to the 12 month period referred to in paragraph (7) (had it not been extended).
Determining the amount of agricultural sick pay
22.—(1) Agricultural sick pay is payable at a rate which is equivalent to at least the minimum hourly rate of pay prescribed in article 11 and Schedule 1, to this Order as applicable to that grade or category of agricultural worker.
(2) The amount of agricultural sick pay payable to an agricultural worker is determined by calculating the number of daily contractual hours that would have been worked during a period of sickness absence.
(3) The number of daily contractual hours are determined—
(a)in circumstances where an agricultural worker works a fixed number of hours each week by dividing the total number of hours worked during any week by the number of days worked in that week;
(b)in circumstances where an agricultural worker works a varying number of hours each week, by applying the formula—
where for the purposes of this article:
QH is the total number of qualifying hours in the period, and
DWEW is the number of days worked each week by the agricultural worker when taken as an average during a period of 8 weeks immediately preceding the commencement of the sickness absence.
(4) In this article “qualifying hours” are hours where—
(a)the agricultural worker worked basic hours or guaranteed overtime,
(b)the agricultural worker took annual leave or bereavement leave,
(c)the agricultural worker had sickness absence qualifying for agricultural sick pay under this Order, or
(d)the agricultural worker had sickness absence not qualifying for agricultural sick pay under this Order, and
“qualifying days” are any days within the period on which there were qualifying hours relating to the agricultural worker.
(5) For the purposes of calculations under this article, where an agricultural worker has been employed by their employer for less than 8 weeks, account must be taken of qualifying hours and qualifying days in the actual number of weeks of the agricultural worker’s employment with their employer.
Agricultural sick pay to take account of statutory sick pay
23. An amount equal to any payment of statutory sick pay made in accordance with Part XI of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992(13) in respect of a period of an agricultural worker’s sickness absence may be deducted from that worker’s agricultural sick pay.
Payment of agricultural sick pay
24. Agricultural sick pay must be paid to the agricultural worker on their normal pay day in accordance with either their contract or their apprenticeship.
Employment ending during sickness absence
25.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if during a period of sickness absence, either an agricultural worker’s contract or their apprenticeship is terminated or the agricultural worker is given notice that either their contract or their apprenticeship is to be terminated, any entitlement which the agricultural worker has to agricultural sick pay continues after that contract ends as if the agricultural worker was still employed by their employer, until one of the following occurs—
(a)the agricultural worker’s sickness absence ends,
(b)the agricultural worker starts work for another employer, or
(c)the maximum entitlement to agricultural sick pay in accordance with article 21 is exhausted.
(2) An agricultural worker whose contract has been terminated is not entitled to any agricultural sick pay after the end of their employment in accordance with paragraph (1) if the agricultural worker was given notice that their employer intended to terminate their contract or their apprenticeship before the period of sickness absence commenced.
Overpayments of agricultural sick pay
26.—(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2), if an agricultural worker who is entitled to agricultural sick pay under this Part is paid more agricultural sick pay than their entitlement, their employer can recover the overpayment of such agricultural sick pay by deduction from that agricultural worker’s wages.
(2) If an overpayment of agricultural sick pay under this Order is deducted as mentioned in paragraph (1), the employer must not deduct more than 20% of the agricultural worker’s gross wage unless notice has been given to terminate the employment or the employment has already been terminated in which case more than 20% of the agricultural worker’s gross wage may be deducted by the employer from payment of the agricultural worker’s final wages.
Damages recovered for loss of earnings
27.—(1) This article applies to an agricultural worker whose entitlement to agricultural sick pay arises because of the actions or omissions of a person other than their employer and damages are recovered by the agricultural worker in respect of loss of earnings suffered during the period in respect of which the agricultural worker received agricultural sick pay from their employer.
(2) Where paragraph (1) applies—
(a)the agricultural worker must immediately notify their employer of all the relevant circumstances and of any claim and of any damages recovered under any compromise, settlement or judgment,
(b)all agricultural sick pay paid by the employer to that agricultural worker in respect of the sickness absence for which damages for loss of earnings are recovered must constitute a loan to the worker, and
(c)the agricultural worker must refund to their employer a sum not exceeding the lesser of—
(i)the amount of damages recovered for loss of earnings in the period for which agricultural sick pay was paid, and
(ii)the sums advanced to the agricultural worker from their employer under this Part by way of agricultural sick pay.
PART 5Entitlement to time off
Rest breaks
28. An agricultural worker is entitled to rest breaks in accordance with regulations 12, 20, 21 and 24 of the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Daily rest
29. An agricultural worker is entitled to a daily rest period in accordance with regulations 10, 20, 21 and 24 of the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Weekly rest period
30. An agricultural worker is entitled to a weekly rest period in accordance with regulations 11, 20, 21 and 24 of the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Annual leave year
31. The annual leave year for all agricultural workers is the period of 12 months beginning on 1 October and ending on 30 September, unless a different leave year is mutually agreed by the agricultural worker and their employer.
Amount of annual leave for agricultural workers with fixed working days employed throughout the annual leave year
32.—(1) An agricultural worker who is employed by the same employer throughout the annual leave year is entitled to the amount of annual leave prescribed in the Table in Schedule 2.
(2) Where an agricultural worker works their basic hours and, where applicable any guaranteed overtime, on a fixed number of qualifying days each week, the number of days worked each week for the purposes of the Table in Schedule 2 is that fixed number of days.
Amount of annual leave for agricultural workers with variable working days employed throughout the annual leave year
33.—(1) Where an agricultural worker works their basic hours on a varying number of days each week, the number of days worked each week for the purposes of the Table in Schedule 2, is to be taken as an average of the number of qualifying days worked each week during the period of 52 weeks immediately preceding the commencement of the agricultural worker’s annual leave and that average number of qualifying days must, where appropriate, be rounded to the nearest whole day.
(2) At the end of the annual leave year the employer must calculate the agricultural worker’s actual entitlement for the purposes of the Table in Schedule 2, based upon the number of qualifying days worked each week, taken as an average of the number of qualifying days worked each week during the annual leave year (i.e. over a period of 52 weeks) and the average number of qualifying days must be, where appropriate, rounded to the nearest whole day.
(3) If at the end of the annual leave year, the agricultural worker has accrued but untaken holiday entitlement, the agricultural worker is entitled to carry forward any accrued but untaken holiday to the following annual leave year in accordance with article 35(3) of this Order or the agricultural worker and the employer may agree to a payment in lieu of any accrued but untaken holiday in accordance with article 38 of this Order.
(4) If at the end of the annual leave year, the agricultural worker has taken more holiday days than they were entitled to under this Order, based on the average number of qualifying days worked per week (calculated in accordance with paragraph (2)), the employer is entitled to deduct any pay for holiday days taken in excess of the agricultural worker’s entitlement or, in the alternative, deduct the holiday days taken in excess of the agricultural worker’s entitlement from their entitlement for the following annual leave year (provided any such deduction does not result in the agricultural worker receiving less than their full statutory annual leave entitlement under the Working Time Regulations 1998).
Amount of annual leave for agricultural workers employed for part of the leave year
34.—(1) An agricultural worker employed by the same employer for part of the annual leave year is entitled to accrue annual leave at a rate of 1/52nd of the annual leave entitlement specified in the Table in Schedule 2 for each completed week of service with the same employer.
(2) Where the amount of annual leave accrued in a particular case includes a fraction of a day other than a half day, that fraction is to be—
(a)rounded down to the next whole day if it is less than half a day, and
(b)rounded up to the next whole day if it is more than half a day.
Timing of annual leave
35.—(1) An agricultural worker may take annual leave to which they are entitled under this Order at any time within the annual leave year subject to the approval of their employer.
(2) An agricultural worker is not entitled to carry forward from one leave year to the next leave year any untaken annual leave entitlement without the approval of their employer.
(3) Where an employer has agreed that an agricultural worker may carry forward any untaken annual leave entitlement, the balance carried forward may only be taken in the leave year to which it is carried forward.
(4) During the first 6 months in any annual leave year an employer may require an agricultural worker to take up to 2 weeks of their annual leave entitlement under this Order and may direct that the worker takes one of those 2 weeks of annual leave on days in the same week.
(5) During the second 6 months in any annual leave year an employer must permit an agricultural worker to take 2 weeks of the worker’s annual leave entitlement under this Order in consecutive weeks.
(6) For the purpose of this article, 1 week of an agricultural worker’s annual leave is equivalent to the number of days worked each week by the agricultural worker as determined in accordance with articles 32 and 33.
Holiday pay
36.—(1) An agricultural worker is entitled to be remunerated in respect of each day of annual leave taken by them based on the agricultural worker’s normal weekly pay.
(2) The amount of holiday pay to which an agricultural worker is entitled under paragraph (1) is to be determined in accordance with regulation 16 of the Working Time Regulations 1998.
(3) Any pay due to an agricultural worker under this article must be made not later than the agricultural worker’s last working day before the commencement of the period of annual leave to which the payment relates.
Public holidays and bank holidays
37.—(1) This article applies where a public holiday or bank holiday in Wales falls on a day when an agricultural worker is normally required to work either under their contract or their apprenticeship.
(2) An agricultural worker required by their employer to work on the public holiday or bank holiday is entitled to be paid not less than the overtime rate specified in article 12.
(3) An agricultural worker who is not required by their employer to work on the public holiday or bank holiday is to have the balance of their accrued annual leave for that leave year under this Order reduced by 1 day in respect of the public holiday or bank holiday on which the agricultural worker is not required to work.
Payment in lieu of annual leave
38.—(1) Subject to the conditions in paragraph (2), an agricultural worker and their employer may agree that the agricultural worker is to receive payment in lieu of a day of the agricultural worker’s annual leave entitlement.
(2) The conditions referred to in paragraph (1) are—
(a)the maximum number of days for which an agricultural worker can receive a payment in lieu of annual leave during any annual leave year is prescribed in the Table in Schedule 3;
(b)a written record is to be kept by the employer of any agreement that an agricultural worker will receive payment in lieu of a day’s annual leave for a minimum of 3 years commencing at the end of that annual leave year;
(c)in circumstances where the agricultural worker does not work on a day as agreed in accordance with paragraph (1), that day is to remain part of the agricultural worker’s annual leave entitlement;
(d)payment in lieu of annual leave is to be paid at a rate which comprises both the overtime rate specified in article 12 and holiday pay calculated in accordance with article 36 as if the day for which a payment in lieu of annual leave is made is a day on which the agricultural worker is taking annual leave.
Payment of holiday pay on termination of employment
39.—(1) Where an agricultural worker’s employment is terminated and the agricultural worker has not taken all of the annual leave entitlement which has accrued to them at the date of termination, the agricultural worker is entitled in accordance with paragraph (2) to be paid in lieu of that accrued but untaken annual leave.
(2) The amount of payment to be made to the agricultural worker in lieu of each day of their accrued but untaken holiday as at the date of termination is to be calculated in accordance with article 36 as if the date of termination was the first day of a period of the agricultural worker’s annual leave.
Recovery of holiday pay
40.—(1) If an agricultural worker’s employment terminates before the end of the annual leave year and the agricultural worker has taken more annual leave than they were entitled to under the provisions of this Order or otherwise, their employer is entitled to recover the amount of holiday pay which has been paid to the agricultural worker in respect of annual leave taken in excess of their entitlement.
(2) Where under paragraph (1) an employer is entitled to recover holiday pay from an agricultural worker, the employer may do so by means of a deduction from the final payment of wages to the agricultural worker.
Bereavement leave
41.—(1) An agricultural worker is entitled to paid bereavement leave and agricultural bereavement pay in accordance with article 43 in circumstances where the bereavement relates to a person in Category A, Category B or Category C.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), persons in Category A are—
(a)a child.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1), persons in Category B are—
(a)a parent of the agricultural worker,
(b)the agricultural worker’s spouse or civil partner, or
(c)someone with whom the agricultural worker lives as if they were spouses (without being legally married) or someone with whom the agricultural worker lives as if they were in a civil partnership (without legally being in a civil partnership).
(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1), persons in Category C are—
(a)a brother or sister of the agricultural worker,
(b)a grandparent of the agricultural worker, or
(c)a grandchild of the agricultural worker.
(5) Bereavement leave for the purposes of paragraph (1) is in addition to any other leave entitlements under this Order.
Determining the amount of bereavement leave
42.—(1) The amount of bereavement leave to which an agricultural worker is entitled following the death of a person within Category A is 2 weeks.
(2) The amount of bereavement leave to which an agricultural worker is entitled following the death of a person within Category B is—
(a)4 days where the agricultural worker works their basic hours on 5 days or more each week for the same employer, or
(b)where the agricultural worker works their basic hours on 4 days a week or less for the same employer, the number of days calculated in accordance with paragraph (3).
(3) Subject to paragraph (7), the amount of an agricultural worker’s entitlement to bereavement leave following the death of a person within Category B is to be calculated according to the following formula—
(4) The amount of bereavement leave to which an agricultural worker is entitled following the death of a person in Category C is—
(a)2 days where the agricultural worker works their basic hours on 5 days or more each week for the same employer, or
(b)where the agricultural worker works their basic hours on 4 days a week or less for the same employer, the number of days calculated in accordance with paragraph (5).
(5) Subject to paragraph (7), where this article applies the amount of an agricultural worker’s entitlement to bereavement leave following the death of a person within Category C is to be calculated according to the following formula—
(6) For the purposes of the formula in paragraphs (3) and (5), DWEW is the number of days worked each week by the agricultural worker calculated in accordance with article 32 or 33 (as appropriate).
(7) Where the calculation in either paragraph (3) or (5) results in an entitlement to bereavement leave of less than 1 day, the entitlement is to be rounded up to one whole day.
(8) In circumstances where an agricultural worker has more than one employment (whether with the same employer or with different employers), paid bereavement leave may be taken in respect of more than one employment but must not exceed, in respect of any one occasion of bereavement, the maximum amount of bereavement leave specified for a single employment in this article.
Agricultural bereavement leave pay
43.—(1) The amount of pay in respect of bereavement leave following the death of a person in Category A is, for the first four days, or where the agricultural worker works their basic hours on 4 days a week or less the number of days calculated in accordance with article 42(3), to be determined in accordance with the provisions of article 36 as if the first day of the agricultural worker’s bereavement leave was the first day of that worker’s annual leave. For the remainder of any period of bereavement leave the agricultural worker shall be entitled to an amount equivalent to statutory parental bereavement leave pay applicable from time to time.
(2) Any agricultural bereavement leave pay paid to the agricultural worker in accordance with article 43(1) is inclusive of any statutory parental bereavement leave pay that the agricultural worker may be entitled to for the same period.
(3) The amount of agricultural bereavement leave pay to which an agricultural worker is entitled to following the death of a person in Category B or C is to be determined in accordance with the provisions in article 36 as if the first day of the agricultural worker’s bereavement leave was the first day of that worker’s annual leave.
Unpaid leave
44. An agricultural worker may, with their employer’s consent, take a period of unpaid leave.
PART 6Revocation and transitional provision
Revocation and transitional provision
45.—(1) The Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2023(14) is revoked.
(2) An agricultural worker employed as a worker at a Grade or as an apprentice, and subject to the terms and conditions prescribed in The Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2023 or any previous Orders is, from the date this Order takes effect, subject to the terms and conditions set out in Parts 2 to 5 of this Order.
(3) In this article “previous Orders” means the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2023, Agricultural Wages (No. 2) (Wales) Order 2022(15), the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2022(16), the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2020(17), the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2019(18), the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2018(19), the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2017(20), the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2016(21), the Agricultural Wages (England and Wales) Order 2012 and every order revoked by article 70 of that Order.
Lesley Griffiths
Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, one of the Welsh Ministers
15 March 2024
Article 11
SCHEDULE 1MINIMUM RATES OF PAY
Table
| Grade | Minimum rate from 1 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| A1 – Agricultural development worker (16-17 years) | £6.56 |
| A2 – Agricultural development worker (18-20 years) | £8.82 |
| A3 – Agricultural development worker (21+ years) | £11.73 |
| B1 – Agricultural worker (16-17 years) | £6.56 |
| B2 – Agricultural worker (18-20 years) | £8.82 |
| B3 – Agricultural worker (21+ years) | £11.79 |
| C – Agricultural advanced worker | £12.27 |
| D – Senior agricultural worker | £13.46 |
| E – Agricultural manager | £14.77 |
| Apprentice Year 1 | £6.40 |
| Apprentice Year 2 and beyond (16-17 years) | £6.40 |
| Apprentice Year 2 and beyond (18-20 years) | £8.60 |
| Apprentice Year 2 and beyond (21+ years) | £11.44 |
Articles 32 and 33
SCHEDULE 2ANNUAL LEAVE ENTITLEMENT
Table
| Number of days worked each week by an agricultural worker | More than 6 | More than 5 but not more than 6 | More than 4 but not more than 5 | More than 3 but not more than 4 | More than 2 but not more than 3 | More than 1 but not more than 2 | 1 or less |
| Annual leave entitlement (days) | 38 | 35 | 31 | 25 | 20 | 13 | 7.5 |
Article 38
SCHEDULE 3PAYMENT IN LIEU OF ANNUAL LEAVE
Table
| Maximum number of annual leave days that may be paid in lieu | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days worked each week | More than 6 | More than 5 but not more than 6 | More than 4 but not more than 5 | More than 3 but not more than 4 | More than 2 but not more than 3 | More than 1 but not more than 2 | 1 or less |
| Maximum number of annual leave days under this Order that may be paid in lieu | 10 | 7 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Articles 6, 7 and 8
SCHEDULE 4EQUIVALENT QUALIFICATIONS OUTSIDE WALES
Table
| Equivalent qualifications in England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Scotland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | England | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | Scotland |
| Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship | Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship | Level 2 Traineeships NI | - | Level 5 Modern Apprenticeship |
| Level 3 Apprenticeship | Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship | Level 3 Apprenticeship NI | Level 5 Apprenticeship | Level 6 Modern Apprenticeship, Foundation Apprenticeship |
| Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship | Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship | Level 4 Higher Level Apprenticeship | Level 6 Apprenticeship | Level 7 Modern Apprenticeship |
| Equivalent qualifications under the European Qualifications Framework (‘EQF’) | |
| Wales | EQF |
| Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship | Level 3 EQF |
| Level 3 Apprenticeship | Level 4 EQF |
| Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship | Level 5 EQF |
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order revokes and replaces, subject to some changes and a transitional provision, the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2023.
Part 2 of the Order provides that agricultural workers are to be employed subject to the terms and conditions set out in Parts 2 to 5 of the Order (article 3) and specifies the different grades and categories of agricultural worker (article 5 to 9).
Part 3 makes provision about the minimum rates of remuneration that must be paid to agricultural workers (article 11). Provision is made for accommodation offset allowance which may be deducted from an agricultural worker’s remuneration (article 15). Provision is also made for dog allowance, on-call allowance, night work allowance and birth and adoption grants which do not form part of an agricultural worker’s remuneration (article 16).
Part 4 provides that an agricultural worker is entitled to agricultural sick pay in the circumstances specified (articles 18 to 21). Provision is made about calculating the amount of agricultural sick pay that an agricultural worker is entitled to (article 22). A payment of statutory sick pay is to count towards an agricultural worker’s entitlement to agricultural sick pay (article 23).
Part 5 makes provision about an agricultural worker’s entitlement to time off. Provision is made about an agricultural worker’s entitlement to rest breaks (article 28), daily rest (article 29) and weekly rest period (article 30). Provision is also made specifying the agricultural worker’s annual leave year and about the agricultural worker’s entitlement to annual leave, holiday pay and about payment in lieu of annual leave (articles 31 to 38). Provision about an agricultural worker’s entitlement to be paid bereavement leave is made in articles 41 to 43.
Part 6 contains a revocation and a transitional provision.
The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to this Order. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with this Order. A copy can be obtained from the Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ and on the Welsh Government website at www.gov.wales.
1996 c. 18. Section 80EA was inserted by Schedule 1(1) to the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 (c. 24).
S.I. 1998/1833, amended by S.I. 2023/1426.
1996 c. 18. Section 211 was amended by Schedule 8 to S.I. 2006/1031. Section 212 was amended by Schedules 4 and 9 to the Employment Relations Act 1999 (c. 26). Section 215 was amended by Schedule 7 to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2). Section 219 was amended by Schedule 1 to the Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 (c. 8).
1973 c. 50. Section 2 was amended by section 25 of the Employment Act 1988 (c. 19) and section 47 of the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993 (c. 19). Relevant functions of the Secretary of State, so far as exercisable in relation to Wales, were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales by the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672). The functions of the National Assembly for Wales transferred to the Welsh Ministers by virtue of section 162 of, and paragraphs 30 and 32 of Schedule 11 to the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32).
1995 c. 18. Section 17B is repealed by section 147 of, and Part 4 of Schedule 14 to the Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5). The repeal has effect for certain purposes pursuant to S.I. 2013/983, S.I. 2013/1511, S.I. 2013/2657, S.I. 2013/2846, S.I. 2014/209, S.I. 2014/1583, S.I. 2014/2321, S.I. 2014/3094, S.I. 2015/33, S.I. 2015/101, S.I. 2015/634, S.I. 2015/1537, S.I. 2015/1930, S.I. 2016/33 and S.I. 2016/407.