Supply chain crisis: Tories poised to U-turn on foreign worker visas

[Still Waters]

Ministers are poised to agree an extraordinary post-Brexit U-turn that would allow foreign lorry drivers back into the UK to stave off shortages threatening fuel and food supplies.

Boris Johnson ordered a rapid fix on Friday to prevent the crisis escalating. Ministers met in an attempt to agree a short-term visa scheme permitting potentially thousands more lorry drivers from abroad to come to the UK.

The prime minister is understood to have weighed in to demand a compromise from his warring cabinet, which was split over the issue, after scenes of chaotic queues at some petrol stations and warnings from suppliers that the shortage of fuel on forecourts could worsen.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/24/supply-chain-crisis-tories-poised-turn-foreign-worker-visas

[Grey Area]

2 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

Ministers are poised to agree an extraordinary post-Brexit U-turn that would allow foreign lorry drivers back into the UK to stave off shortages threatening fuel and food supplies.

Firstly, Brexit didn’t get rid of the lorry drivers.  There is a general shortage of them.

Secondly, every nation that has immigration policies will offer incentives to attract foreign workers that have skills needed.  Its common sense and certainly not a U-Turn, as much as remainers might choose to label it as such.

[LV-426]

*wets a finger and holds it up to test the wind*

 

I predict a cold front coming in hard left from across the Irish Sea, with storm warnings issued nationwide.

Conditions will be wetter than usual for the time of year.

 

Too ambiguous?

Edited September 24, 2021 by LV-426

[L.A.T.1961]

It might be a good idea, it will show how many of the supposedly unemployed EU truck drivers are queueing for UK jobs and only restricted by new brexit immigration regulations.

When only a few arrive I dare say a new reason for their lack of driving enthusiasm will be conjured up. 

 

[Guest Br Cornelius]

Oh the contortions

Br Cornelius

[L.A.T.1961]

25 minutes ago, Grey Area said:

Firstly, Brexit didn’t get rid of the lorry drivers.  There is a general shortage of them.

Secondly, every nation that has immigration policies will offer incentives to attract foreign workers that have skills needed.  Its common sense and certainly not a U-Turn, as much as remainers might choose to label it as such.

The French will not just be accusing us of steeling their sub orders but now all their drivers.  

[Silver]

59 minutes ago, Br Cornelius said:

Oh the contortions

Br Cornelius

As things get worse, companies and industries will feel compelled to speak the truth. Personally, I have noticed the Brexit word is being mentioned more and more on TV and radio news. Until now the government has done a pretty good job of keeping it out of the news, and for good reason: less than a year in to the liberated global Britain, that will be making "fantastic" trade deals, it is going to be difficult to tell the quarter of the electorate who voted for it that it has made the UK smaller, more isolated, more vulnerable to economic shocks, and poorer.

An interesting read:The cause of our food and petrol shortages is Brexit – yet no one dares name it | Jonathan Freedland | The Guardian

[Silver]

1 hour ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

It might be a good idea, it will show how many of the supposedly unemployed EU truck drivers are queueing for UK jobs and only restricted by new brexit immigration regulations.

When only a few arrive I dare say a new reason for their lack of driving enthusiasm will be conjured up. 

 

They are not queuing for jobs, that is the problem. The Brexit red tape and cabotage rules mean the UK is becoming uneconomic for them, and of course the £ is less valuable compared the euro than it was before 2016. It will be a major embarassment for the governement if there is a poor uptake, and if it is successful, all the other industries will be asking for exemptions as well.

Edited September 24, 2021 by The Silver Shroud

[Silver]

It is understood that the decision to relax visas could be extended to include workers in the food supply chain as well, sources told The Independent.

George Eustice, the agriculture secretary, wants to include meat-processing workers in an agreement that grants up to 30,000 six-month visas to those who pick and package fruit and vegetables, a government figure said.

The senior Conservative said this would “just be the start” of increased pressure to ease pinch-points across the economy by changing visa requirements. “This is not [likely to be] done and dusted by Christmas,” they added.

Visa plan is too late to stop Christmas supply chaos, insiders warn | The Independent

Edited September 25, 2021 by The Silver Shroud

[+and-then]

10 hours ago, The Silver Shroud said:

The cause of our food and petrol shortages is Brexit

Really?  I don't recall Brexit causing the same problems in the U.S.  That'd be down to the political scum that are using fear of a virus to burn down the global economy... just sayin'...

[Silver]

50 minutes ago, and then said:

Really?  I don't recall Brexit causing the same problems in the U.S.  That'd be down to the political scum that are using fear of a virus to burn down the global economy... just sayin'...

Do you have any links? It isn't reported in the UK, which is odd, because if it was true our government would be shouting it from the rooftops.

[toast]

12 hours ago, Grey Area said:

There is a general shortage of them.

Thats correct somehow.

Quote

Firstly, Brexit didn’t get rid of the lorry drivers.  

But the Brexit has made the UK situation even worse or do you really think a stay out policy has no further negative impact on the situation?

[Guest Br Cornelius]

Foreign workers started to go home as soon as Brexit was a certainty. This crisis has been developing for years precisely because of Brexit.

 

Br Cornelius

[Essan]

I am pretty sure the shortfall of around 50,000 drivers we had before Brexit was not due to Brexit   

https://www.hgvt.co.uk/hgv-training-news/re-evaluating-the-hgv-driver-shortage-in-the-uk/

(that piece was written pre Covid)

[Essan]

Issues highlighted in 2016 (post the Brexit referendum but before many, if any, Europeans had left the UK because of it)

https://logistics.org.uk/press-releases/20161027-fta-driver-shortage-report-analysis-highlights-reliance-on-eu-nationals

[Guest Br Cornelius]

This crisis will not go away since its a buyers market and wages are better for drivers in most parts of Europe, this is why Germany is largely free from these issues and will continue to experience growth whilst the UK struggles. If they try to compete on price then it will simply worsen the stagflation crisis that is developing in the UK. Its a **** storm with no real way out of it.

It will never get old saying this, but this is just reward for listening to snake oil salesmen.

Br Cornelius

Edited September 25, 2021 by Br Cornelius

[Silver]

33 minutes ago, Essan said:

I am pretty sure the shortfall of around 50,000 drivers we had before Brexit was not due to Brexit   

https://www.hgvt.co.uk/hgv-training-news/re-evaluating-the-hgv-driver-shortage-in-the-uk/

(that piece was written pre Covid)

 

28 minutes ago, Essan said:

Issues highlighted in 2016 (post the Brexit referendum but before many, if any, Europeans had left the UK because of it)

https://logistics.org.uk/press-releases/20161027-fta-driver-shortage-report-analysis-highlights-reliance-on-eu-nationals

Industry has been warning the government of months if not years there was a crisis brewing, not just in haulage, but in fishing, farming, factories and meat processing! And what was the UK governments response? Preparing, training, organising our work force, raising the minimum wage to encourage recruitment? Listen to what industry was shouting in their ears?

Or ploughing ahead and spending billions on Brexit and introducing a hostile immigration policy to suck up to the Brexit voters?

[Grey Area]

1 hour ago, toast said:

Thats correct somehow.

But the Brexit has made the UK situation even worse or do you really think a stay out policy has no further negative impact on the situation?

Its difficult to argue against Brexit as a cause because we have had a year and half of almost total lockdown which happened almost as soon as we were due to leave.  It’s convenient to point fingers and for some to revel in the UK’s situation which clearly isn’t an isolated case.  But the truth is, we stand here in unprecedented times, there is no yard stick by which to measure the global state of affairs at the moment, we are where we are without precedent, and we all are going to have to figure this out by the seat of our pants

If you and others want to blame Brexit I’ll not try to stop you, it is indeed more paperwork for EU citizens to do if they want to come here to work.  I guess the paperwork is just too damned racist or xenophobic to contemplate.

[godnodog]

14 hours ago, Grey Area said:

Firstly, Brexit didn’t get rid of the lorry drivers.  There is a general shortage of them.

Secondly, every nation that has immigration policies will offer incentives to attract foreign workers that have skills needed.  Its common sense and certainly not a U-Turn, as much as remainers might choose to label it as such.

Dude seriously? 

The transportation industry have stated several times that they lost a lot of drivers with the Brexit/Covid situation, and as Covid restrictions are eased the Brexit reasons remain.

The UK government will need to modifyit's migration rules to allow drivers and others to return to the UK. This was stupid from the start.

[godnodog]

44 minutes ago, Br Cornelius said:

This crisis will not go away since its a buyers market and wages are better for drivers in most parts of Europe, this is why Germany is largely free from these issues and will continue to experience growth whilst the UK struggles. If they try to compete on price then it will simply worsen the stagflation crisis that is developing in the UK. Its a **** storm with no real way out of it.

It will never get old saying this, but this is just reward for listening to snake oil salesmen.

Br Cornelius

Agreed, even in Portugal where work conditions are appealing for drivers and salaries are also bad, we have not seen anything similar to what is happening in the UK.

[godnodog]

2 hours ago, and then said:

Really?  I don't recall Brexit causing the same problems in the U.S.  That'd be down to the political scum that are using fear of a virus to burn down the global economy... just sayin'...

Well I don't recall Trump's fraud claims having any effect for Marcelo's legit reelection as Portugal President either

[Duke Wellington]

15 hours ago, Still Waters said:

Ministers are poised to agree an extraordinary post-Brexit U-turn that would allow foreign lorry drivers back into the UK to stave off shortages threatening fuel and food supplies.

Boris Johnson ordered a rapid fix on Friday to prevent the crisis escalating. Ministers met in an attempt to agree a short-term visa scheme permitting potentially thousands more lorry drivers from abroad to come to the UK.

The prime minister is understood to have weighed in to demand a compromise from his warring cabinet, which was split over the issue, after scenes of chaotic queues at some petrol stations and warnings from suppliers that the shortage of fuel on forecourts could worsen.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/24/supply-chain-crisis-tories-poised-turn-foreign-worker-visas

The economy has picked up too fast as we emerge from coronavirus.

With our own lorry drivers the problem is during lockdown (and its decreased demand) many had to find jobs elsewhere and dont want to go back. This is understandable because firstly coronavirus isn`t over yet (so they wont take the risk). And secondly because many found themselves better paying jobs. On top of that it is supposed to take 1-2 months on average for a company to find the right job applicant.

Food and fuel are critical. What should be done about it? It looks like the only solution the Government can see is to steal other countries lorry drivers lol. Taking back in 50,000 EU workers who can drive will cause some outrage. But the only other solution is that for the next 6 months they help companies out by having the military drive lorries.

[Guest Br Cornelius]

Lets not forget that the EU countries have the benefit of Free Movement for Work - which is far more appealing to migrant truck drivers than applying to Government for Visas. Unless something spectacular happens the UK will be bottom of their list when it comes to looking for new migrant truck drivers.

Who would have guessed that Free Movement for Work was economically beneficial, Oh sorry I did.

These threads are starting to elicit the the kneejerk response of "You ****ing ****wits".

Br Cornelius

Edited September 25, 2021 by Br Cornelius

[Guest Br Cornelius]

I do actually have to ask, do the Brexiters actually believe the fantastical things that are coming out of their mouths at this stage.

 

Br Cornelius

[Silver]

16 hours ago, Grey Area said:

Firstly, Brexit didn’t get rid of the lorry drivers.  There is a general shortage of them.

Secondly, every nation that has immigration policies will offer incentives to attract foreign workers that have skills needed.  Its common sense and certainly not a U-Turn, as much as remainers might choose to label it as such.

We introduce an immigration policy to exclude and expel EU workers, then introduce incentives to attract them back? And that is "certainly not a U-turn"? Well it certainly isn't common sense!