London-Sana
The British transport sector is suffering from a severe crisis affected by the repercussions of Britain’s exit from the European Union “Brexit” and the “Covid 19” epidemic, as tens of thousands of jobs have become vacant in the sector, which hinders the supply of goods to shops.
And the French Press Agency quoted the Road Transport Association in Britain as saying that the shortage in the number of truck drivers has reached 100,000 out of the total workforce in the field of truck transport of 300,000, warning of a crisis affecting all supplies and calling on the government to act quickly or face the risk of disrupting these supplies. before Christmas.
According to current data, many UK transport companies used to hire workers from Eastern Europe to fill the shortage in trucking, but Britain's exit from the European Union and the adoption of new cumbersome rules for issuing visas led to a mass exodus of workers in this sector, as he left in the first six months of Last year, 12,000 European drivers and 20,000 British trainee drivers were stuck in queues after the Covid-19 pandemic caused months-long delays for driving tests.
"There will certainly be a shortage of drivers until the New Year when there is still a long line of people waiting to take their driving test," Alex Fitch, director general of public policy at Logistics UK, told AFP.
“We are struggling in this sector to employ young people so this has always been a concern,” he added, explaining that “we are going to have a tough fall” amid warnings of potential supply shortages during the vital Christmas period if retailers are forced to prioritize delivery of essentials.
Like other sectors in the United Kingdom, road transport is suffering due to the government imposing a quarantine on many drivers after contact with a person who tested positive for the Corona virus.
In an attempt to attract drivers, several companies announced raising wages and bonuses for truck drivers to ensure their ability to offer competitive amounts in the market.
Britain and other countries are facing major economic repercussions as a result of the conditions imposed by the Corona epidemic and the measures taken to confront it.
