Skip to main content

Government considers early review in bid to tackle HGV driver shortage

// As driver shortages continue, the government is considering moving up a review of its Shortage of Occupation list
// Home Office officials are said to be blocking the review over concerns it could lead to other sectors demanding inclusion

To address the issue of HGV driver shortages, the government is considering moving up a review of its Shortage of Occupation list, PA news reports.

Following an exodus of drivers from EU countries who returned to their home countries amid the pandemic and stayed, supermarkets and suppliers are failing to meet demand.

This is coupled with the health crisis bringing DVLA testing centres to a standstill, creating a huge backlog of drivers taking their HGV test.

READ MORE:

A review of the Shortage of Occupation list, which sets out jobs where overseas workers can apply for visas, is not due until next year.

But PA understands proposals have been floated for bringing forward the review so HGV drivers can be included to ease the problems facing the supply chain.

Several Government departments are liaising over the supply chain issues, including the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department, the Home Office, the Department for Transport, the Department for Education, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Home Office officials are said to be blocking the review being brought forward amid concerns it could lead to other sectors demanding inclusion.

HGV drivers are currently not included on the list but there is pressure from supermarkets to include them to help ease the shortfall whilst more UK drivers are trained.

The current average age of a UK HGV driver is 55 and ministers are concerned an aging workforce needs replacing.

Government officials are working closely with the DVLA to increase the number of tests taking place and have vowed to streamline the process.

They have also increased funding for apprentices to get more workers into the industry but want to ensure the UK is less reliant on overseas drivers.

Supermarkets and haulier groups have warned prices could go up as wages are rising for drivers – having stagnated for the last five years.

Some drivers have already staged strike action because their pay has not risen whilst other colleagues have seen increases.

Retailers and suppliers have also been incentivising drivers with signing-on bonuses, including at Amazon, Tesco and Marks & Spencer as they suffer from shortages.

with PA Wires

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter

The post Government considers early review in bid to tackle HGV driver shortage appeared first on Retail Gazette.



from Retail Gazette https://ift.tt/2WmaNfj
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eagle Labs launches impirica CBD brand

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eagle Labs has launched impirica, a new brand of CBD intended to eliminate consumer fear, and increase confidence, in trying the exciting new cannabidiol category. Michael Law Although most Americans have now heard about CBD, many are very confused and concerned about product quality. This is inhibiting trial in the category and holding back conversion into sales. In fact, a 2017 study by Johns Hopkins University found that two out of three CBD products on the shelf did not contain the amount of CBD reflected on the label. Furthermore, in 2018 and 2019, the FDA sent notices to a substantial number of CBD manufacturers advising them of serious concerns about product quality or egregious medical claims. The impirica brand looks different than most CBD brands — the brand name itself connotes testing and trust, says Eagle Labs chief commercial officer Michael Law. “It doesn’t use the traditional category colors of browns and greens, and you won’t find a hemp...
68 comments
Read more

Coronavirus Recovery: Canadian Small Businesses Must Focus on Easing Employee, Customer Fears

By M. Tina Dacin and Laura Rees A small business has been  given the green light to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic . What does it need to consider for employees and customers? Small business owners are reorganizing physical space to account for continued distancing requirements and rethinking supply chains to deliver products and services in new ways to meet changing demand patterns. But they must not forget the hearts and minds of employees and customers. That doesn’t mean replacing a focus on the bottom line, but it helps address the need for a new set of expectations and ways of communicating in terms of product or service offerings, delivery methods and real-time feedback. Based on our expertise in organizational behaviour and past research we’ve conducted, we provide a set of recommendations to help small businesses thrive in our new COVID-19 economy by looking after the hearts and minds of the people most important to businesses — employees and customers. Fear, Anxi...
1 comment
Read more

World's 1st Pizza Subscription Service Launches in Toronto

general assembly subscription user opening delivery box of pizza. photo: general assembly pizza By Mario Toneguzzi Toronto-based General Assembly Pizza has launched what it describes as the world’s first pizza subscription service as it also plans to aggressively expand its product offering in the near future by opening a new concept in the market. "Since opening our doors in 2017, we have pushed for the best guest-experience possible — that's why our dough is 100 percent naturally leavened, that's why we have a purpose-built 400-square-foot pick-up and delivery area, and that's why we’ve launched a direct-to-consumer subscription-based ecommerce platform,” said Founder & CEO Ali Khan Lalani. “In 2020, providing the best guest experience means General Assembly Pizza has to be more than a restaurant. I'm proud to say that after almost six months of planning, many roadblocks, and countless pivots — all while maintaining our day-to-day restaurant operatio...
1 comment
Read more