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Welsh Minister scored a second stunning victory over the UK Government in the highest court in the land after the Supreme Court said it DID have the power to set wages for farm workers in Wales – after the same board was abolished in England.

The UK Attorney General Dominic Grieve prompted a costly legal battle after voicing concerns over whether the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Bill breached the Assembly’s powers as it referred to employment law, which falls under the powers of Westminster.

The Welsh Government’s most senior lawyer, Counsel General Theodore Huckle, argued the Bill fell under agriculture, which is a devolved issue.

Mr Antoniw, the AM for Pontypridd, who has led the campaign to retain the Agricultural Wages Board:

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But five Supreme Court justices decided unanimously that it didn’t breach the Assembly’s competence, so the Bill will now become law and allow the Welsh Government to set minimum wages and benefits for agriculture workers.

First Minister Carwyn Jones welcomed the judgement – but slammed Wales’ vague devolution settlement as destabilising and urged a decision to move to a clearer, Scottish-style model of devolution.

Mr Jones said: “This is a significant judgment of the Supreme Court which goes some way to clarifying the complexities of the current devolution settlement.

“It is the second unanimous judgment in our favour, and a clear vindication of the way our relatively new Welsh law-making powers are being interpreted by the Welsh Government.

“In practice, it means that the lowest paid agricultural workers in Wales will now have a degree of protection that they would not otherwise have had, following the UK Government’s unilateral decision to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales.

“But we cannot continue to have Bill after Bill passed by our democratically-elected Assembly, then referred to the Supreme Court, with all the time, cost and uncertainty that involves.”

Read: 15 ways the National Assembly has made a difference - for better or worse

Secretary of State for Wales David Jones said the government was "grateful to the Supreme Court for providing clarity on this issue".

“In its judgement, the court has favoured a broader interpretation of the provisions in the Government of Wales Act that govern the Assembly’s competence," he said.

“We now need to study the judgement in detail and consider its implications.

"The government is committed to working with the Welsh Government for the benefit of Wales and will continue to make every effort to ensure that the legislative arrangements for Welsh devolution work effectively."

The defeat represents another embarrassing defeat for the UK Government and the Attorney General in the court, after the first Bill ever passed by the National Assembly – regarding changes local government byelaws – was also referred by the UK Government to the court and also led to the court unanimously deciding that also didn’t breach the Assembly’s powers.

That court battle came at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees for the taxpayer.

Under the devolution settlement, laws can be referred to the Supreme Court to adjudicate if there is a doubt over whether it falls under the devolved legislature’s powers.

The decision represents a remarkable, if bittersweet, victory for sacked Natural Resources and Food Minister Alun Davies, who introduced the Bill to the Senedd.

Mick Antoniw, who has led the campaign to retain the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB): “Almost 14, 000 Welsh agricultural workers will benefit from this decision.

“Abolishing the AWB would have increased rural poverty, with wages slashed as a result of statutory protection being removed. This would have been especially true for agricultural workers who work alone or in small teams in isolated areas whose ability to negotiate is limited.”

“Setting a fair rate of pay is critical, but the benefits of this decision will be felt even more widely. For example, allowances, holiday and sick pay, training, rest breaks are all set by the AWB. Welsh agricultural workers will continue to enjoy the same sort of rights on these issues that most of us take for granted.”

Mr Antoniw, the AM for Pontypridd, also attacked the decision by the UK Government to refer the Bill.

He said: “The Tory/Lib Dem government tried to avoid consultation on this issue and refused to enter into meaningful discussions with the Welsh Government.

“Despite the Scottish and Northern Irish Parliaments retention of their Agricultural Wages Boards and the House of Lords Grand Committee’s rejection of the abolition proposals, they decided to press ahead with this vindictive action.”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, Russell George, said: “This legislation was rushed through by Labour –using an emergency procedure that prevented engagement and avoided scrutiny.

“The inevitable result was sloppy law-making, doubts over competence, and months of uncertainty for Welsh farmers.

“We welcome today’s Supreme Court decision – which brings that doubt and worry to an end.

Welsh Tory North Wales Assembly Member, Antoinette Sandbach, said: “Welsh Conservatives continue to believe that the Agricultural Wages Board is all about jobs for the boys on another quango.

“It is out-dated, complicated, and scrapping it puts farmers on an equal footing with other Welsh employers.”

Plaid Cymru spokesman for sustainable communities, energy and food, Llyr Gruffydd, said the Supreme Court process was a waste of money.

He said: “The current devolution dispensation is not fit for purpose and is far beyond its use by date. The case for moving to a reserved powers model has been made and has been accepted by all parties in the Assembly, and adopting this model would avoid these unnecessary delays.

“Plaid Cymru has always welcomed the establishment of a Welsh Agricultural Wages Board. More than 14,000 agricultural workers could be affected by this decision. I want to see a new board with a much broader remit so that it can play a role in driving forward skills and training, and promoting careers in the agriculture industry."

Eluned Parrott, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on constitutional affairs, said the "legal mess" highlighted the inadequacies of the devolution settlement.

She said: “We must move away from the deeply flawed model of devolution that we currently have, established by Labour, towards something closer to the current Scottish model.

"Essentially, rather than Westminster informing Wales what it can legislate on, we should instead have a system where it is made clear what Wales can’t legislate on. That system has worked smoothly in Scotland since 1999 with no legal challenges at all to Scottish legislation."

“The previous Minister’s decision to classify this legislation as an ‘emergency bill’, therefore skipping out the scrutiny process, was an absolute disgrace that reeked of arrogance and bad governance. Following the lack of scrutiny, it was not surprising that this bill ended up in the Supreme Court."

Wales TUC General Secretary Martin Mansfield said: "Today's decision will be welcomed by thousands of agricultural workers across Wales, who collectively stand to lose around £1m per year in falling pay without the agreements secured via the Agricultural Wages Board.

"Many in the sector work long hours in tough jobs that attract around just 75% of the average wage. The Low Pay Commission also found that semi skilled trades people faced a particularly sharp fall in wages as a result of the abolition.

"It is totally unacceptable that this court hearing was instigated by the UK Government and the Welsh Government has been vindicated in its efforts to restore fairness to the industry in Wales.

"The equivalent boards across Scotland and Northern Ireland have continued their work while farm workers in Wales have been left fearing the worst for their livelihoods as UK ministers were yet again determined to undermine devolution in Wales."