The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Christmas ‘should not be disrupted’
Driver shortages should not disrupt Christmas but customers “might not get absolutely everything” they want, according to a haulier boss.
There have been reports of a UK-wide shortage of HGV drivers and agricultural workers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the post-Brexit immigration system.
This has affected the supply of some goods, with particular concerns about food shortages in the run-up to Christmas.
Martin Reid of the Road Haulage Association told MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee that “Christmas will be deliverable” but that customers “might not get absolutely everything you want absolutely all the time”.
He added: “But thankfully our industry is very quick; very nimble.
“As long as you’re not asking for the earth, Christmas will occur this year, same as it has every other year.”
However, David Michie, policy manager for crops at the National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS), said there are still concerns about Christmas labour shortages. He added: “It’s bigger than Christmas. It’s looking like extending much wider than that.”
Mr Reid said leaving the European Union, combined with the impact of the coronavirus crisis and other factors, had created “the perfect storm” for the sector.
To try to tackle the problem, the UK Government has brought in a temporary visa scheme, aimed at making it easier for foreign lorry drivers to work in the UK in the three months up to December 24.
But Mr Reid, the RHA director for Scotland and Northern Ireland, complained that was “too short a period to attract people”.
He spoke out on the issue as MPs on the committee examined the impact of labour shortages in certain industries.
Mr Reid told the committee that driving an HGV is not classed as a skilled occupation and is not on the shortage occupation list – which makes it easier for firms to bring in workers from overseas.
“It is easier for a ballerina to come to the UK than it is an HGV driver”, he told MPs.
A UK Government spokesman said: “We are closely monitoring labour supply and working with sector leaders to understand how we can best ease particular pinch points.”