Call for action as UK driver shortage hits supermarket shelf

[Cactus Jack]

Gaps on supermarket shelves are likely to continue for several months unless the government does more to tackle the labour crisis hitting haulage firms, suppliers have warned.

Logistics and hauliers’ organisations said August would be a pinch point in the shortage as workers take summer breaks, while firms offering bonuses and sign-on fees to recruit drivers were not helping matters.

The shortage of qualified HGV drivers, worsened by Brexit and Covid, has left wholesalers unable to get goods to shops, with major dairy producer Arla on Friday admitting it could not get milk to about a quarter of supermarkets last week.

Shane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, said the issue was getting worse: “We’re firefighting right now. We have got a lot of vacancies but also a lot of workers on holiday. We’ve got a short-term summer problem. We’re going to have interruptions on the shelves – we’re resigned to that.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... et-shelves

Later in the article suppliers caution against panic buying and warns of more problems as supermarket start to gear up for Christmas (yellow card to me for mentioning that word in August). They also deny this is a result of the so-called pingdemic

Brennan said the problem would be worse at Christmas. “It’s been obscured by the pingdemic but that was the superficial problem rather than the ongoing problem – that we are chronically short of the drivers we need at every stage of the supply chain,” he said.

“We’ve seen a massive exodus of non-UK labour during the pandemic and we don’t know if they are able to come back.”

[Jobless Oddball]

I've heard that there are drivers still on furlough??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

[drum]

I've heard that there are drivers still on furlough??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Aye, working from home, those drivers get the job done

[Jobless Oddball]

Aye, working from home, those drivers get the job done

I see you're not familiar with working from home or furlough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cactus Jack]

I've heard that there are drivers still on furlough??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Some may be although it's pretty doubtful it will be many.

Some drivers will be employed by stores that aren't seeing much business and of course while on furlogh they can't take work anywhere else. However furlough ends this month so we'll soon see how much it will mitigate the problem if at all. I can't imagine there are over 100,000 furloughed drivers and of course anyone on furlough could voluntarily leave their job and cash in on the current bonanza for drivers.

I know a few taxi companies that are doubling up as delivery services at the moment - and good luck to them.

[Jobless Oddball]

Some may be although it's pretty doubtful it will be many.

Some drivers will be employed by stores that aren't seeing much business and of course while on furlogh they can't take work anywhere else. However furlough ends this month so we'll soon see how much it will mitigate the problem if at all. I can't imagine there are over 100,000 furloughed drivers and of course anyone on furlough could voluntarily leave their job and cash in on the current bonanza for drivers.

I know a few taxi companies that are doubling up as delivery services at the moment - and good luck to them.

Furlough ends at the end of September!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And people can take other work on whilst on furlough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cactus Jack]

Some may be although it's pretty doubtful it will be many.

Some drivers will be employed by stores that aren't seeing much business and of course while on furlogh they can't take work anywhere else. However furlough ends this month so we'll soon see how much it will mitigate the problem if at all. I can't imagine there are over 100,000 furloughed drivers and of course anyone on furlough could voluntarily leave their job and cash in on the current bonanza for drivers.

I know a few taxi companies that are doubling up as delivery services at the moment - and good luck to them.

Furlough ends at the end of September!!!

And people can take other work on whilst on furlough!!!!!

In some fields they certainly can - almost literally as crop picking is one thing they can do.

I suspect given the labour shortage driving may be an exception too but I wasn't able to find out for sure.

[Jobless Oddball]

In some fields they certainly can - almost literally as crop picking is one thing they can do.

I suspect given the labour shortage driving may be an exception too but I wasn't able to find out for sure.

I've heard there is hardly any restriction on what type of 2nd employment you can do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[drum]

In some fields they certainly can - almost literally as crop picking is one thing they can do.

I suspect given the labour shortage driving may be an exception too but I wasn't able to find out for sure.

I've heard there is hardly any restriction on what type of 2nd employment you can do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't really followed the furlough rules for a few months now but i know a few people who were on furlough and told they couldn't work a second job while receiving it. Has that changed now?

[Jobless Oddball]

I haven't really followed the furlough rules for a few months

Best not to comment then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[drum]

I haven't really followed the furlough rules for a few months

Best not to comment then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which is why I asked the question

[Cactus Jack]

I haven't really followed the furlough rules for a few months

Best not to comment then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which is why I asked the question

I found this

The Government has previously confirmed that an employee who has been furloughed from their current job can take on a new job, provided this is permitted by their contract of employment. For example, certain contracts of employment will provide that an employee must not work for another employer during the course of their employment with the organisation during working hours or without prior written consent. If this is the case, we would recommend that parties agree a variation to the terms of the contract in writing on a temporary basis or that the employer provides that written consent, specifying that this only applies in relation to any period of furlough whilst the coronavirus pandemic is on-going.

It is worth noting that there is no obligation on an employer to permit an employee to work for another employer whilst furloughed if this is prohibited by the contract of employment, although the employee would have a valid argument that any alternative work would not be interfering with their work for the furloughed employer, as no such work is required.

https://www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/employees-furloughed/

So it looks like furloughed drivers could work for another employer, or perhaps an agency, with their full time employers consent. The full time employer would still have to pay for the furloughed worker.

[drum]

Cheers for that CJ, I wasn't sure.

[Raggamuffin]

In some fields they certainly can - almost literally as crop picking is one thing they can do.

I suspect given the labour shortage driving may be an exception too but I wasn't able to find out for sure.

I've heard there is hardly any restriction on what type of 2nd employment you can do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't really followed the furlough rules for a few months now but i know a few people who were on furlough and told they couldn't work a second job while receiving it. Has that changed now?

It depends on your contract. I wasn't allowed to work for anyone else when I was on furlough, but the Government doesn't forbid it. Therefore, some people are paid twice - once for actually working and again for not working.

[Grafenwalder]

I posted this on another thread yesterday which is relevant to thread topic

A rabid pro-Brexity nutter posted this link on another forum claiming it as another Brexit bonus for Britain. He never reads links - not even his own, only catchy headers, so all he read was this bit; "Aldi raises wages of HGV drivers to ward off competition"

And this was what he didn't read;

The shortage of drivers is contributing to food supply problems that have become apparent to shoppers as they are presented with empty shelves in stores. Brexit and the loss of many European drivers, the large-scale “pinging” of workers who may have been exposed to people with Covid, and delays in HGV driving tests are contributory factors behind the shortage.

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/aldi- ... mpetition/