More than 10,000 foreign workers will be allowed to work temporarily in the UK as truck drivers and in the food sector. The British government has decided this in hopes of saving Christmas from supply shortages.
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Under a temporary visa regime, 5,000 lorry drivers and 5,500 poultry workers will have the opportunity to work in the UK until Christmas Eve, in a bid to keep supermarket shelves stocked with turkeys and toys, and to deal with the delivery problems at the petrol stations.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes, with visas available from next month, “keep preparations on track” for the holiday season.
Retailers had warned the government they had just 10 days to save Christmas from “serious disruption” due to a shortage of truck drivers.
According to the Road Haulage Association, the country has a shortage of at least 100,000 truck drivers. Causes are the corona pandemic, the lack of young talent and the strict immigration rules after Brexit.
Many sectors are suffering as a result. This keeps the shelves in supermarkets empty. And the companies BP and ExxonMobil announced that they will have to close some gas stations because they are not being replenished. According to BP, there is enough fuel available, but the company is unable to get it at the gas stations due to the driver shortage. Those announcements led to long lines at other gas stations.
In addition to the short-term measure to admit foreign workers, the Ministry of Defense is also taking measures to provide examiners for truck driving tests. The government wants to increase the number of British truck drivers.
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