UK soldiers to deliver fuel to ease supply crisis

[Isa Khan]

British troops are expected to be deployed within days to help ease a fuel supply crisis, the government said on Wednesday, as the retail and hospitality sectors called for foreign workers to be allowed to fill post-Brexit vacancies.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News soldiers could be delivering fuel supplies to forecourts "in the next couple of days", to cut long queues that have built up outside filling stations for nearly a week.

A total of 150 military drivers have been put in a "state of readiness", with 150 more as back-up, to deploy "in the coming days", a source told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency.

Officials from Kwarteng's department and the Ministry of Defence are reportedly working with the petrol industry on where best to send resources.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday sought to reassure the public there was enough fuel in stock and the situation was returning to normal.

A shortage of tanker drivers sparked fears of pumps running dry, triggering panic-buying and some desperate motorists filling plastic bottles with fuel.

Frustrations even spilled over into threats and violence on some forecourts, while frontline healthcare and public sector personnel said they needed priority access to get to work.

Critics have blamed the crisis on Britain's final departure from the European Union in January and the coronavirus pandemic, plus a lack of planning to replace thousands of foreign drivers leaving the country.

The government campaigned for an end to free movement across Europe during Brexit, promising to "take back control" of what it saw as unchecked immigration.

But last weekend it reversed entry rules to offer foreign truckers a three-month visa waiver, hoping to ease a wider shortage of drivers that has hit supply chains.

Some supermarkets have had empty shelves for several weeks and fears are growing about the effect on the upcoming Christmas period.

- 'Seasonal labour shortages' -

Despite assurances the fuel supply crisis was easing, after sales of fuel spiked 500 percent last weekend, concerns have been raised it could take weeks to return to normal.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Driver Association, said up to 30 percent of self-employed London Black Cab drivers could not get fuel on Tuesday.

The end to free movement after Brexit has also created staff shortages in pubs, bars and restaurants, as well as in high-street shops.

Industry bodies in hospitality and retailers called on the government to grant a similar short-term visa waiver to foreign workers.

A similar appeal has been made in the entertainment industry.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said workers remained "stuck abroad because of (Covid) travel restrictions".

The government should "simplify the immigration rules at the moment to improve and reduce the bureaucracy to get staff in", she told Sky News.

British high-street retailer Next similarly warned of "seasonal labour shortages" drawing comparison to the shortfall of lorry and tanker drivers.

"For the sake of the wider UK economy, we hope that the government will take a more decisive approach to the looming skills crisis in warehouses, restaurants, hotels, care homes and many seasonal industries," it added.

Johnson's government is facing a growing list of Brexit-related woes, including a smouldering row with France over fishing rights, which proved a key stumbling block during trade talks with Brussels.

UK soldiers to deliver fuel to ease supply crisis - France 24

UK soldiers to deliver fuel to ease supply crisis

www.france24.com

 

[Kaptaan]

Yes, things are pretty bad. Yesterday I waited nearly a hour to get fuel.

 

[mulj]

Yes, things are pretty bad. Yesterday I waited nearly a hour to get fuel.

Artificial manipulation to increase global fuel prices or some legitimate logistical issues?

 

[TR_123456]

Yes, things are pretty bad. Yesterday I waited nearly a hour to get fuel.

Go Tesla,no more worries.

 

[Ryder]

My dad is saying this because UK does not have a Tayyip is why they have fuel shortages

God I love Turkish parents.

 

[Knowledgeseeker]

My dad is saying this because UK does not have a Tayyip is why they have fuel shortages

God I love Turkish parents.

He has a point. They have boris johson that look like a drug user..

 

[Kaptaan]

Go Tesla,no more worries.

Yeh, that is the way forward I guess.

My dad is saying this because UK does not have a Tayyip is why they have fuel shortages

There are two causes that conflated to cause the problem. One is acute and other is chronic. There is general shortage of truck drivers in UK. One of the results is some of the large oil companies have had shortage of drivers. Not a huge shortage but still this was placing pressure on the supply chain.

There was a government meeting to discuss this problem with major supply logistic companies. Some idiot leaked this to the press. As media began reporting on this a rush began and people tanked up with many even buying jerry cans so effectively hoarding.

This resulted in placing massive pressure on the supply chain which was already under strain. No supply chain could have handled the sudden spike in panic buying. Result is chaos. This actually is self created crisis.

Why there is shortage of truck drivers is another story.

 

[Anastasius]

Yeh, that is the way forward I guess.

There are two causes that conflated to cause the problem. One is acute and other is chronic. There is general shortage of truck drivers in UK. One of the results is some of the large oil companies have had shortage of drivers. Not a huge shortage but still this was placing pressure on the supply chain.

There was a government meeting to discuss this problem with major supply logistic companies. Some idiot leaked this to the press. As media began reporting on this a rush began and people tanked up with many even buying jerry cans so effectively hoarding.

This resulted in placing massive pressure on the supply chain which was already under strain. No supply chain could have handled the sudden spike in panic buying. Result is chaos. This actually is self created crisis.

Why there is shortage of truck drivers is another story.

Huh, that's odd. In my experience, transportation (truck driving, etc) is the one area of national infrastructure that's never short on willing employees, especially in times of economic crisis.

 

[Kaptaan]

Huh, that's odd.

Unfortunately odd as it might appear, it is true.

How serious is the shortage of lorry drivers?​

By Reality Check team
BBC News

Published
3 days ago


Related Topics

• Reality Check

Image source, Getty Images
The government is introducing temporary visas for 5,000 fuel tanker and food lorry drivers to work in the UK in the run-up to Christmas.
It has faced calls to do so for several weeks, amid growing concerns about deliveries of food and fuel.
The government has resisted those calls until now, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps previously saying: "We do have to stand on our own two feet as the United Kingdom".
The shortage of HGV drivers is due to a combination of Covid, Brexit and other factors.

How serious has the problem become?​

A Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey of its members estimates there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK.
That number includes thousands of drivers from European Union (EU) member states who were previously living and working in the UK.

The Annual Population Survey produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that there were 16,000 fewer EU nationals working as HGV drivers in the year ending March 2021, than in the previous year.
Even before Covid, the overall estimated shortage was about 60,000 drivers.

Mirka Jordan
For the first time in quite a few years, we've placed orders and they just don't arrive - we chase them and they say there's a shortage of drivers - and that impacts our production

Mirka Jordan
Financial Controller at Blackfriars Bakery

Why now?​

Covid is certainly part of the problem. As travel became increasingly restricted last year, and large parts of the economy shut down, many European drivers went home. And haulage companies say very few have returned.
The pandemic also created a large backlog in HGV driver tests, so it's been impossible to get enough new drivers up and running.
The industry warned the prime minister in June that there were 25,000 fewer candidates passing their test in 2020 than in 2019.

What about Brexit?​

There are HGV driver shortages across Europe, but in the UK Brexit has made things worse.
Many European drivers who went back to their home countries, or decided to work elsewhere, are unable to return.
When the UK was part of the EU single market, they used to be able to come and go as they pleased.
But new immigration rules mean that is no longer the case.
There is also new bureaucracy, and the decline in the value of the pound against the euro since the Brexit vote has made working in the UK less attractive for EU nationals.
The strain on the freight transport system comes before Britain imposes checks on goods coming in from the EU. They have now been delayed until next year - some in January, others in July.
If they prove too intrusive, that could make it even more difficult to encourage European drivers to work in this country. Many drivers are paid by the mile or kilometre rather than by the hour, so delays cost them money.

Tax and conditions​

There have also been tax changes making it more expensive for drivers from elsewhere in Europe to work or be employed in the UK.
The reform of the IR35 rules - on how people working off the payroll pay tax - are designed to prevent workers setting up limited companies and paying less tax and National Insurance while working, in effect, as an employee.

Haulage companies say the average age of HGV drivers in the UK is 55, and they want more to be done to attract younger workers.

• Why is there a shortage of lorry drivers?
• Backlash against longer hours for lorry drivers

That includes better terms and conditions, better facilities for long distance drivers to use, and a recognition that they are a vital part of the economy.
One consequence of shortages, though, has been that some wages for drivers are already going up.

Craig Stevens
The drivers can command more money - the profitability of the transport industry is very small in normal circumstances and that means we'll have to up prices for our customers

Craig Stevens
Managing director at STD Developments Ltd

What about Northern Ireland?​

Like other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland is short of HGV drivers but there haven't been fuel shortages because it is not experiencing the same acute problems with tanker drivers.
Northern Ireland was less reliant on drivers from the EU so has been less impacted by those workers no longer being available. An industry source says tanker driving tends to have better pay and working hours, so it is sought after by local drivers.
Geography also works in Northern Ireland's favour - it's not much more than 100 miles wide so supply chains can't get as stretched as they are in the rest of the UK.
Northern Ireland is to a large extent served by the same refineries as the rest of the UK. For example, Texaco ships fuel from its refinery in Pembroke to a storage facility at Belfast Harbour.
But Northern Ireland has no more access to EU workers such as HGV drivers than other parts of the UK.

What about the rest of Europe?​

According to data collected by Transport Intelligence, Poland was short of more than 120,000 drivers last year, while in Germany between 45,000 and 60,000 were needed. New figures are expected in the coming weeks.

 

[mulj]

So, basically eu and gb can solve lack of labour force and refugee cryse with one shot?