PRESS RELEASE : Secretary of State announces the appointment of a Chair and two Independent Members to the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) [January 2024]

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 29 January 2024.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has announced the appointment of a new Chair and independent members to the AWB.

The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon. Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has today announced  the appointment of Grace Nesbitt as the new Chairperson of the Agricultural  Wages Board and Gerard Laverty and Kevin McCabe as Independent Board Members. In the absence of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, these appointments were made possible by the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022.

The new Chair and Members will take up their positions on 29 January 2024.

Grace Nesbitt MBE

Grace Nesbitt, OBE, brings a wealth of experience in industrial relations and negotiations gained through her professional career in human resources, formerly in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Grace is the Chair of the Board of Governance of the Jersey Audit Office and also an Independent Member of the Audit and Risk Committee in Antrim and Newtownabbey Council.

Gerard Laverty  

Gerard Laverty brings significant experience in the areas of human resources, negotiations and conflict resolution across his career as a Human Resources Manager at the North-Eastern Education and Library Board. Gerard is a former member of Independent Appeals Committees at the Labour Relations Agency and is a qualified workplace mediator.

Kevin McCabe  

Kevin McCabe has extensive experience in industrial relations and negotiations across his career in the public sector working for the Northern Ireland Public Sector Alliance. He is a former Fair Employment Commissioner and panel member of the Office of the Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunals. Kevin currently serves as a Board Member of the Labour Relations Agency.

Details of body

The function of the AWB is principally to set rates of wages and related conditions for  agricultural workers. The work of independent members involves examining all of the  relevant factors in determining fair and reasonable settlement of the annual pay award.

Terms Of Appointment

• The Chair and Member roles require a commitment of up to 5 days per annum.
• The Chair and Member appointments to the AWB are for a three-year term.
• The Chairperson post is remunerated at £294 per meeting to include  preparation and attendance.
• The Member post is remunerated at £152 per meeting to include preparation and attendance.

Regulation

The procedure for these appointments is designed to adhere to the Code of Practice  issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. This means that the process will be based on merit after a fair, open and transparent process that involves independent scrutiny. A copy of the code can be found at: https://www.publicappointmentsni.org/

Political Activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection  process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland  requires the political activity of appointees to be published. The appointees have not declared any political activity in the last 5 years.