The exit of the European Union and Covid-19 have triggered a time bomb: in the UK there is a lack of manpower.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousThe exit of the European Union and Covid-19 have triggered a time bomb: in the UK there is a lack of manpower. The hardest hit is the industry of meat processing, but the situation is not rosy for the delivery and catering sector in general either
The food sector in England is on a tailspin and has been facing staff shortages for weeks as the dual impact of Brexit and Covid-19 has caused disruption across the industry. Retailers, producers and restaurants are all affected: it is the result of absences linked to Covid and of EU workers leaving the country due to Brexit.
In short, Brexit and pandemic is a very dangerous combination that threatens to curb supplies altogether. Here, in the UK, the shelves are starting to be empty and the shops and restaurants are not stocked. And while some fast food chains decide to close their outlets altogether, there are those who plan to recruit detainees to restart the engine of the economy.
It seems paradoxical, but it is so. The Queen's subjects find themselves facing an abyss: the lack of heavy vehicle drivers, as well as fruit pickers and workers, has left many supermarkets in serious difficulty and everything, from fruit to vegetables to bottled water, passing through wine and baked goods, it gradually ran out.
A situation that borders on the tragic and that does not only concern the meat trade.
We outlined 3 specific measures:
1. Government must rapidly increase the number of HGV driving tests taking place
2. Temporary visas must be provided for EU drivers
3. Changes must be made to HGV driver training funding
Read more? @LogisticsUKNewshttps://t.co/6n6TRpXxIz
— The British Retail Consortium (@the_brc) August 23, 2021
Companies are now desperately trying to fill vacancies through a scheme that allows inmates to do free paid work every day. They are also contacting charities for ex-military and women to try to recruit staff.
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, the spokesperson for butchers, abattoirs and processors, has obtained a meeting with the Ministry of Justice to discuss a way to make it possible to recruit more inmates and ex-inmates in their companies .
Much of the food industry is facing a recruiting crisis - says Tony Goodger, a spokesperson for the association, explaining that some of the members have already hired some inmates who are on the temporary license program and found them a resource. The advice we have received from the Home Office is that the UK's national workforce should be given priority. As much as we and many of the members have tried, finding enough staff remains a challenge.
The problem that adds up? The daily prisoner release regime was curtailed during the pandemic and only a few prisons have reintroduced it in recent months.
In short, this is no small issue, which risks being exacerbated even by the latest news from the Government which would aim in any case to prefer the "national workforce of the United Kingdom, which should have priority". Nothing new under the sun. But no one is thinking of reviewing the consumption of meat and industrial and processed foods… Follow us on Telegram | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YoutubeSource: The Guardian
Read also:
- Hot frog syndrome: scientists explain why there was a rush to buy yeast, flour and toilet paper during the lockdown
