(Adds detail)
By James Davey
LONDON, June 26 (Reuters) - Britain could face gaps on
supermarket shelves this summer and an "unimaginable" collapse
of supply chains after the pandemic and Brexit led to a shortage
of more than 100,000 truck drivers, industry leaders have
warned.
In a June 23 letter sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson,
the industry called for his personal intervention to allow
access to European labour by introducing temporary worker visas
for HGV drivers and adding them to a "shortage occupation list".
A government spokesman said however that with the country's
new post-Brexit immigration system, the industry should look to
hire local workers instead.
"Supermarkets are already reporting that they are not
receiving their expected food stocks and, as a result, there is
considerable wastage," said Richard Burnett, the chief executive
of the Road Haulage Association, which co-ordinated the
letter.
Britain's supermarket industry, led by Tesco,
Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons, relies on an
army of drivers and warehouse workers to bring fresh produce
from the fields of Europe to its shelves.
Britain's logistics industry had been one of the most vocal
in the run-up to Britain's departure from the European Union,
warning that truck drivers would not want to come to Britain if
checks and friction increased at the border.
The pandemic has compounded the problem after many European
drivers living in Britain returned to their country of origin.
The letter said intervention from government was now the
only way to avert "critical supply chains failing at an
unprecedented and unimaginable level".
It said the approaching summer holidays, the continued
unlocking of the economy and spikes in demand for food and drink
created by hot weather and major sporting events would
exacerbate the problem. Christmas preparation would also be hit.
In response a government spokesman said progress had been
made in hiring and training.
"Our new points-based immigration system makes clear
employers should focus on investing in our domestic workforce,
especially those needing to find new employment, rather than
relying on labour from abroad," he said.
The letter was signed by the CEOs of a raft of logistics
groups, including Eddie Stobart, Wincanton, XPO
Logistics and KUEHNE + NAGEL, as well as the heads of industry
groups including the Food and Drink Federation, British Frozen
Food Federation, Cold Chain Federation, British Beer and Pub
Association and the British Meat Producers Association.
(Additional reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Paul Simao and
Jason Neely)
