Author: Martin Robinson, chief reporter at Mailonline
Published: October 15, 2021 at 02:19 EST | Updated: October 15, 2021 at 06:03 EST
Transporters in the UK were angry today because the ministers announced that they would abolish the regulations restricting the number of deliveries by EU drivers in the UK every week. Because visa extensions resulted in only 20 visas being issued to foreigners, union bosses began plotting to "host Christmas". '.
Truck drivers from Europe can only deliver twice a week in the UK-but this morning, the government revealed that the cap will be cut so that they can stop unlimited times before the "end of the year" because the UK is paralyzed by a shortage of drivers.
The Road Transport Association stated that their members were “stunned and shocked”, claiming that the “ridiculous” plan allowed EU companies to weaken their British rivals by bringing back “uncontrolled immigration” for foreign HGV drivers.
Environment Minister George Eustice stated that these changes will bring "significant extra capacity" during the busy holiday season-but this decision may further anger union bosses, who threaten to pay and Coordinating the truck strike during the dispute over conditions.
Due to too many crises, Boris Johnson worked hard to keep food and gifts on the shelves this Christmas. Mr. Eustis told the BBC that these changes will help the UK’s “HGV fleet because of Some EU teams will be able to do more work."
It is understood that these changes will "take effect at the end of this year for a period of up to six months"-which means that additional capacity will be used to maintain inventory in supermarkets and stores before Christmas. Trucks can also relieve pressure on Britain’s squeaky ports, including Felixstowe.
But British truck drivers were not satisfied with these plans and urged ministers to clear the 56,000 HGV permit applications from the DVLA backlog in the fire.
"It is clearly the government's priority to promote this work to the new generation of Britons and they don't want uncontrolled immigration-this is at least six months," said the Road Transport Association.
"While this may help the Christmas supply chain, the impact on hard-working British transport companies may be huge, as they may lose jobs to cheaper EU competitors."
Transport Minister Grant Sharps acknowledged that a short-term solution is needed to solve the long-term problem that requires more British truck drivers. He said: "The temporary changes in coastal shipping rules we are consulting will also ensure that foreign transporters in the UK can effectively use their time and allow more goods to flow through the supply chain when demand is high."
He also insisted that Christmas will "continue."
He said: "Last Christmas, we were very worried about whether we could see our relatives and family members. There will be no problems this year. We will make sure that the supply chain is doing what it should do. This is what we are taking, including today. The change to this coastal route aims to accomplish this.
"Christmas is coming and we will be able to meet our friends and family. There will be food and gifts.
"I do know that the entire world's supply chain is squeezed. That's because we are all coming out of the long period of the coronavirus, and the British economy, perhaps especially because our economy is expanding, is the fastest growing in the G7. The economy, this means that there are special pressures and pressures.
"But we are taking a series of measures, including what I announced today regarding the way truck drivers from abroad pick and place things, the so-called coastal transportation rules." According to our changes, this means that they can be before Christmas. Pick up and drop off goods within 14 days in this country/region in unlimited ways.
In response, Andrew Acre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: “It sounds like it can alleviate some of the problems. One of the challenges in the supply chain is the lack of availability of HGV to ship inventory in the country, so we Know that there are containers waiting to be emptied at the port.
"If this plan, if this temporary plan can increase our capacity at the HGV level, hopefully this will enable us to transport these goods more efficiently than we currently are around the UK, so we need to cross our fingers to increase capacity to the system. Do so that we can deliver the goods to the store faster.
However, this decision may further anger the union bosses, who threatened to coordinate a truck strike because the pay and conditions of the driver accused of conspiring to "hold Christmas hostages" last night were quarreling over the pay and conditions.
Unite will carry out a massive strike on thousands of supermarkets and delivery drivers in the coming days, which is the biggest strike threat since the infamous "Winter of Dissatisfaction" more than 40 years ago.
Thousands of containers in Felixstowe Port, Suffolk, shipping giant Maersk said that due to the accumulation of cargo caused by the HGV crisis, it is moving ships from British ports to other parts of Europe for unloading
Unite will carry out mass strikes on thousands of supermarkets and delivery drivers in the coming days-the biggest strike threat since the infamous "Winter of Dissatisfaction" more than 40 years ago
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An empty refrigerator on a shelf of frozen vegetables in Kobe Asda, Northamptonshire
Unite’s new leader Sharon Graham (pictured) promised to operate “on the edge of the law” to protect the rights of members
The union stated that the recent supply chain crisis has given truck drivers "power", and many people worry that this will continue to cause empty shelves during the holiday season.
Therefore, their representatives asked the ministers to promise to provide clean toilets and catering facilities at the truck stops, and to increase the wages of the old drivers, as the new starters received a salary of £50,000.
Unite-whose new leader Sharon Graham promised to operate "on the edge of the law" to protect the rights of its members-also hopes that temporary regulations allow employees to work on the road for up to 10 hours a day in order to be cancelled.
However, government sources lashed out at these proposals, insisting that a large-scale strike would cause tremendous damage to ongoing efforts to maintain shelf stocks and limit food shortages.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport told the Daily Telegraph: “It is reckless for the union to hold Christmas as a hostage and disrupt the work done at this critical time of the year to restore the supply chain.
'We have taken immediate action to increase the supply of heavy truck drivers, simplify the testing process and improve working conditions.
"We are very pleased that employers are seeking long-term solutions by improving testing and recruitment, providing better salaries and working conditions, and will continue to support them in doing so."
Ministers worry that the scale of this large-scale operation will be similar to that of the Winter of Dissatisfaction. In the severe cold months at the turn of 1978-79, strikes in many nationalized industries brought suffering to the British.
The streets were full of garbage bags, and even the corpses rotted as garbage workers and gravediggers joined the widespread strike.
Unite represents approximately 50,000 HGV drivers, including those of major supermarkets Sainsbury's and Tesco, so the threat's impact on the supply chain will be huge.
Adrian Jones, the union’s national officer in charge of road transport at Unite, told the paper: “HGV drivers are the blood of our economy. If the government and employers refuse to do what is necessary, we will cut off without hesitation. supply.
He added that the current law prevented a major nationwide strike because unions must register their disputes with each employer.
However, industry leaders are considering coordinated actions to cause the greatest damage in the coming weeks.
Previously, supermarkets were ridiculed for filling in blank shelves with strange items to make the store look less empty, because people were increasingly worried about lack of stock.
Stores such as Tesco and Co-op were found to pile up salad cream, HP sauce and cooking oil in coolers to take up space. At the same time, the chocolate box was stuffed into the place of fruits and vegetables.
Cardiff’s Tesco Extra puts a lot of sunflower oil at the end of the frozen food shelf, while Co-Op puts salad cream and HP Sauce in the cooler, and Gloucester Asda fills the empty shelves. Lynx Africa deodorant.
Elsewhere, Tesco of Pontypridd in South Wales replaced the usual salad food with a wall of tomatoes. A Co-op store in Hertfordshire is full of Quality Street, Celebrations and Dairy Milk in the fruit and vegetable section.
Supermarkets are ridiculed for filling in the blanks on the shelves with strange items, making the store look less empty. Pictured: A Co-op store in Hertfordshire, Quality Street and Celebrations chocolate bags are replacing fruits and vegetables
Yesterday morning, the cosmetic shelves of the Gloucester Asda store were filled with empty shelves from Lynx Africa
Twitter user Stuart Turner posted this photo of his local Co-Op putting salad cream in the refrigerator on September 17
Due to supply problems, Sainsbury’s supermarket has insufficient inventory, and today Leeds’s shelves are empty.
Due to rising transportation costs, rising energy prices and continuing labor shortages, one-third of retailers in the UK expect prices to rise in the next three months.
The British Retail Association said there are "clear signs" that the combination of these problems "begins to penetrate consumer prices", and small retailers across the UK said they expect to have to charge more.
But others stated that they "desperately avoid becoming a Christmas geek and keep everything the same" because they don't want shoppers to have more reasons not to buy in an already difficult market.
Earlier, Rishi Sunak could only provide limited guarantees because of concerns that the supply chain crisis will empty the shelves and blame the chaos on global factors, so this Christmas will provide gifts under the Christmas tree.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledged that the government "cannot solve every problem", but said the ministers are "doing our best" to solve the problems of British ports and shops before the holiday.
The store’s crisis is due to the lack of HGV drivers and the lack of carbon dioxide pumping into the packaging to keep the product fresh or foamy.
As shoppers stock up on non-perishable products and frozen products needed for Christmas dinners, there is also a hoarding phenomenon.
Due to rising import prices in China and rising gasoline, energy and food costs, soaring costs during the holiday season were exposed last night.
Compared with the same period last year, the cost of products shipped in China last month increased by 10.7%.
With energy and commodity prices out of control, this is the highest increase in 26 years.
Analysts expect this to make white goods, electronics, furniture, game consoles and many other products more expensive.
In addition, there is strong evidence that the rush to buy toys and other products has begun, with brands such as Barbie and Lego selling in "Christmas quantities."
Sales of frozen turkey have also skyrocketed, and Christmas pudding is purchased 75% more than usual at this time of the year.
The soaring cost of Christmas last night was exposed due to rising prices of Chinese imports and rising gasoline, energy, and food costs
The interruption of British ports threatens shortages of many products, and IKEA warns that supply problems may continue for another 12 months.
Jon Abrahamsson Ring, CEO of its parent company, said: "This is longer than we thought when the crisis began."
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) warned that three-fifths of retailers will push up prices in the coming weeks.
Its Director of Food and Sustainability, Andrew Opie (Andrew Opie) said: “There are clear signs that rising transportation costs, rising energy and commodity prices, and continuing labor shortages are causing cost pressures, all of which are beginning to permeate consumption. In the price."
He insisted that the only way to stop growth is for the government to change visa rules to allow more foreign workers to enter in order to fill vacancies in the entire economy.
The ministers made some minor changes to the visa rules, allowing 5,500 HGV drivers, 5,000 poultry processing workers and approximately 800 butchers to handle pigs and pork.
However, the BRC, farmers and other food industries say that this piecemeal approach will not have a major impact.
The recent gasoline panic means a surge in fuel costs for businesses and the public, which will affect delivery and shopping basket costs.
Although energy price shocks, coupled with the cost of natural gas and electricity, will push up the prices of manufactured goods, everything from metals used in new cars to bricks, dinner plates, paints and industrial chemicals.
Just this week, major food companies warned that as part of a permanent price increase, everything from chicken to baked beans will have to increase prices.
"Chicken King" and the owner of the two sisters group Ranjit Singh Bopalan said: "The days of feeding a family of four with a £3 chicken are coming to an end."
The Bank of England recently predicted that by the end of this year, the annual inflation rate will rise above 4%. Some economists predict that this ratio may continue to reach 6% next year.
In this context, interest rates are likely to rise, which will discourage borrowers and those who hold floating-rate mortgages.
This week, Oliver Dowden, the co-chair of the Conservative Party, said that there is no need to panic buying toys or anything before Christmas. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak reiterated this message.
But the owner of The Entertainer chain said that sales of some expensive toys have reached the level expected before Christmas.
These include Barbie Day to Night Dreamhouse Playset, priced at 249.99 pounds, and Barbie's three-in-one Dreamcamper Playset, priced at 83.99 pounds.
According to data from retail analyst Kantar, sales of games and puzzles increased by 15.3%, baby toys increased by 10.8%, and gift packaging products increased by 9.3% (pictured, Hamleys)
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Lego saw a sales boom during the pandemic, but analysts warned of shortages in certain sets. The stocks of major brands such as LOL Surprise!, Baby Annabell and Sylvanian Families are also under pressure.
In the past four weeks, sales of cosmetic gift sets have increased by 128% over the same period last year, and sales of hybrid beauty sets have increased by approximately 64%.
According to data from retail analyst Kantar, sales of games and puzzles increased by 15.3%, baby toys increased by 10.8%, and gift packaging products increased by 9.3%.
The delivery of The Entertainer and other retailers was delayed due to the suspension of the UK's largest container ship port, Felixstowe.
Thousands of containers are parked at Felixstowe and other ports because there are not enough drivers to collect them.
As a result, the companies that owned these goods were hit by port fines.
Traffic sources announced that the fuel crisis that swept the country earlier this month is now “over”.
A source said that all regions, including London and the most affected areas in the southeast, are now at "average inventory levels."
However, as a "precautionary measure", military drivers are expected to continue to provide assistance in the short term.
Great government...now HMG just made Bri...
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