How have WWOOF hosts been affected by the recent changes to the National Minimum Wage law?
(WWOOF – Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) Our podcast host, Fuggo King, has been an integral part of the WWOOFing community for quite some time now. You may recall her insightful podcast episode – Season 4, Episode 1: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Here, she shares her thoughts on the recent changes to the National Minimum Wage law and the guidance provided to hosts by WWOOF.
“I am a WWOOF host and have loved being part of this mutual exchange community built on trust and sharing. Fair wages for workers are very important and the volunteer sectors in the UK must be aware and take note of new legislation. Here is some news from the WWOOF team. Long live WWOOF! “ – Fuggo.
Recent update provided by WWOOF UK for hosts:
After the recent changes in the law we felt we needed to temporarily put new memberships on hold until we had a better idea about the implications for WWOOF. We’ve now sought legal advice and believe the strategy we are creating should mean WWOOFing in the UK can continue.
The strategy will take elements from other WWOOF groups around the world. In the short term we’ve realised we must clarify the relationship between host and WWOOFer, making sure the WWOOFer cannot, in any way, be viewed as a worker. This will be reflected in the website in the very near future.
We will also be working with all hosts to make sure that the opportunities you are offering – and the manner in which you are offering them – can be considered to comply with National Minimum Wage legislation. To be 100% clear we are now saying WWOOFing visits can continue for all hosts, not just those which are charities or CICs.
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