Thousands of visas for truck drivers: London wants to save Christmas | Free press

by time news

London (AP) – After dramatic images of queues at gas stations, the British government has thrown its rigid stance overboard and is now hoping for a rescue by foreign specialists.

As the Ministry of Transport announced on Sunday in London, up to 5,000 work visas will be made available for truck drivers, and 5,500 specialists will be attracted to poultry processing. The goal: Prime Minister Boris Johnson still wants to save Christmas.

“After a very difficult 18 months, I know how important this Christmas is for all of us,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. On Friday he refused to bring foreign specialists into the country.

The shelves in supermarkets remain empty

The situation is dire. Because truck drivers are absent everywhere – the industry association Road Haulage Association (RHA) cites up to 100,000 as a number – food shelves in supermarkets remained empty, and many other goods were temporarily not available, from mattresses to certain types of beer. But it wasn’t until it became known that energy companies could no longer supply dozens of gas stations that the government intervened. One reason for the blatant bottleneck is the stricter immigration rules since Brexit, EU citizens now need expensive work visas.

Representatives from the logistics sector and the food industry welcomed the government plans. At the same time, they made it clear that the total of 10,500 skilled workers were not enough. “It’s like putting out a campfire with a thimble of water,” said British Chamber of Commerce President Ruby McGregor-Smith. The industry association CBI criticized the government’s attitude towards focusing on training. “You can’t turn baggage handlers into butchers or shopkeepers into cooks overnight,” CBI boss Tony Danker told the BBC.

The Ministry of Transport, however, insisted that importing labor was not a sustainable solution to the problem. Minister Shapps refused to acknowledge Brexit as the cause of the hardship and instead accused the RHA of having stoked panic with punctured information from non-public meetings. The association indignantly rejected this.

Army driving instructor on duty

A package of measures and the military are now supposed to help. It is planned, for example, that driving instructors from the army will help to deal with the enormous backlog of driving tests that has also arisen as a result of the corona pandemic. Shapps did not rule out that soldiers could even step in as drivers. In addition, former truck drivers should be convinced to return to work, the government promises higher wages and better working conditions. A total of 50,000 additional driving tests should be possible each year.

At the same time, the government tried to calm the population down. There was enough fuel, said Minister Shapps. People should behave sensibly. His cabinet colleague Nadine Dorries tweeted: “There is no shortage of fuel. I repeat: THERE IS NO LACK OF FUEL !! »

One of the promises made by Brexit was to end free movement. Now the foreigners should help. The RHA doubts whether the hoped-for specialists will come at all. Time is short and it is questionable whether drivers, who are also desperately needed in the EU, are embarking on a temporary adventure, said RHA manager Rod McKenzie of the PA news agency.

Christmas on the brink?

Other industries also assume that the Christmas business is on the brink. This is also due to an energy crisis with a sharp rise in gas prices, which is affecting food production, for example. In addition, Christmas tree producers warned the broadcaster Sky News of a drastic price increase. It is questionable whether anyone who wants can put up a real Christmas tree.

The traditional feast is even more at risk. There will be no more turkeys before Christmas, said the head of the Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association, Kate Martin. In contrast to Minister Shapps, she is convinced that Brexit is to blame for the delivery problems. Smaller producers did use local labor. For the large providers, however, Brexit is “100 percent” the cause of the labor shortage.

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