No end in sight to labour chaos
■ BORIS Johnson’s high wage theory has no economic substance at all. History should tell him it’s the start of a runaway inflation risk as wages go up. Prices then rise and before long we’re in a frightening upward spiral ad infinitum.
We now have massive labour shortages in so many service areas. While manufacturing may be able to invest in automated productivity improvements, shortages of truck drivers, butchers, care workers and many building and agricultural process workers are harder to deal with because they are labour-driven manual operations. So what is the plan?
With Johnson in charge, it appears there isn’t one.
Chris Stevenson, Dymock, Glos
■ With Boris Johnson indulging himself in his artistic hobby free from the increasing misery of the UK with growing labour and food shortages and massive energy price rises, I wonder which school of art he belongs to? I believe it’s the impressionists.
He is attempting give the impression that he is a hard-working Prime Minister, while also giving the impression of concern for the ordinary working people who are paying the price for his lazy incompetence.
I get the impression that even Tory MPs and voters are now sick of his reign of chaos.
Terry Thomas, South West London
■ The shortage of workers in so many fields, from the hospitality industry to bus drivers, is deeply concerning. Now we also learn that the port of Felixstowe in Suffolk has had to turn away container ships because of a build-up of cargo.
With prices in the shops set to rise along with inflation, it would seem we are heading for a perfect storm.
People’s lack of faith in the Government’s ability to resolve what is becoming a worsening situation is only adding to their anxiety as they don’t appear to be initiating any measures to deal with it.
Michael Smith, Chatham, Kent
■ The Prime Minister claims the future lies in highly skilled, highly paid jobs, but how do you define skill?
A careworker’s patience and kindness towards a confused elderly patient? The nurse, administering injections and lifesaving drugs? An airline pilot and a bus driver, both with the lives of their passengers in their hands? The professional footballer enticed by rewards of high pay?
So are all skills to be judged to be of equal value? Oh, and how do you class someone who waffles and blusters, says absolutely nothing but still manages to persuade people to support him?
John Sedgwick, Tamworth, Staffs
■ It’s heartbreaking to see this incompetent Government bringing our once great country to its knees. Johnson and his cronies are the worst thing to happen to Britain since the Second World War.
As a country we have survived a lot but I fear we are heading for disaster. We must vote them out of office at the earliest opportunity before any more damage is done.
D Ross, Coventry
■ The current situation of our improving economy – but not enough workers to fill the many vacancies – lays bare the failed strategy of the Labour years when the UK became the destination of choice for EU free-movers, instead of training and upskilling our own unemployed at that particular time.
Jim Sokol, Minehead, Somerset