Pay rise agreed for October and time off to be discussed

Stable staff taking home the industry's minimum permitted pay rates will receive a 5.5 per cent increase from October, while a working party has been set up to find ways of giving employees more time off, which is seen as one of the major obstacles in recruiting people to the sport.

The National Joint Council for Stable Staff (NJC), a partnership between the two bodies representing racing’s 6,671 staff and their employers, has agreed the rise with effect from October 1.

It will be applied across all six pay scales, benefiting junior employees and long-serving senior members of staff equally.