About 10,000 drivers and poultry workers will receive temporary visas to the UK as part of the government’s efforts to address food problems before Christmas, BNR reports.
The government has confirmed that 5,000 drivers will be able to be hired from abroad for three months before Christmas. The scheme also provides for 5,500 visas for poultry workers. Transport Minister Grant Shapps said that this would not make any changes in preparation for the holiday season. However, the British Chamber of Commerce said the government’s action was equivalent to “throwing a glass of water into a raging fire”.
The government’s intervention came after an acute shortage of drivers disrupted the refueling process at petrol stations, leading to long queues, despite the government’s claim to large stocks.
Other government measures include the use of instructors from the Ministry of Defense to speed up the testing of truck drivers and the issuance of driver’s licenses, as well as the distribution of about 1 million letters to drivers with such licenses urging them to return to work. Thanks to the accelerated free courses, the government hopes to have 4,000 new drivers soon. Recruitment of foreign drivers and workers will begin next month.
However, the British Retail Consortium said these figures were not enough to fill the vacancies. The consortium said supermarkets alone needed an additional 15,000 truck drivers to work at full capacity before Christmas to avoid a crisis, and that the visa scheme should cover other sectors of the economy.