Plea for help to offset higher costs of sick pay
Scottish farming businesses, facing the possibility of making sick pay awards which are close to £250 a week higher than the statutory level, are calling for extra support over and above the government’s emergency coronavirus rebate scheme to offset the additional costs of supporting sick workers.
NFU Scotland said that under the Agricultural Wages Board regulations - which set the minimum rates of pay for farm workers - the lowest rate of Agricultural Sick Pay is £340.08 – while that of Statutory Sick Pay in other industries stands at only £95.85 a week.
“This places agricultural businesses at a major disadvantage to other sectors who are receiving sick pay support during the Covid pandemic,” said union president Andrew Mccornick.
He said an immediate support package to refund the difference between Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and Agricultural Sick Pay (ASP) for workers absent due to Covid-19 was required to ensure that Scottish farming businesses were better placed to provide support and security to their employees during the current situation.
“Food production is clearly an essential service and NFUS has been working closely with members to ensure that their businesses can stay in operation whilst operating safe social distancing practices.”
But he added that there was no escaping the fact that during the public health crisis, some workers could become unwell and have to take time off.
Mccornick said employers wanted to do all that they could to support their employees at such a time:
“However, it is only fair that there is parity in the support measures in place across the economy. The minimum statutory standards for agricultural workers are greater than statutory standards for other workers and this should be recognised and included in support packages which provide rebates for sick pay.”
He said that he had set out these concerns to the rural economy secretary, Fergus Ewing as well as to the Agricultural Wages Board and had asked for a refund package to be considered.
“NFUS would welcome an immediate support package to refund the difference between ASP and SSP that in turn ensures Scottish agriculture can focus on providing a secure and stable supply of food for the nation and continue to be an essential source of rural and island employment in these turbulent times.”
A video of farmers from every region and sector addressing the Scottish public during the Coronavirus pandemic which was launched on social media earlier this week reached more than 100,000 people in the first 24 hours.
Aimed at reassuring the general public that the industry would do all it could to keep food and drink on everyone’s table, the video sees 23 farmers, their families and workforce from across the country giving messages of encouragement to the people of Scotland.
The team which pulled the video together said they wanted to reassure consumers that there shouldn’t be any disruption to food and drink produced in Scotland - and that the public should stay home and stay safe while Scotland’s farmers took care of the food, drink and countryside.
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