The Workers Union is backing additional investment in the logistics sector.
The news comes as recent reports reveal a shocking decline in the number of workers in the country’s warehouses.
In a report published by Reuters at the end of September, the CEO of the UK Warehousing Association, Clare Bottle said: ‘The problem is big. I would say we’re tens of thousands short.’
In response to the shortage, firms are offering up to 30 percent pay rises in order to attract new staff. Industry insiders expect that at least some of these costs will be passed on to consumers.
A spokesperson for The Workers Union said: ‘People have every right to be worried about the current state of the UK’s warehousing and delivery sector. Stories are circulating that there are extended waits to move goods in and out of ports, as warehouse managers struggle to make space for backed-up containers.
‘While there is a legitimate case for implicating the post-Brexit settlement in this affair, there needs to be at least as much focus on getting UK workers with the right blend of skills and experience into the industry. We have the talent on these shores – now we need supply and logistics professionals to work with government to provide workable solutions.’
The Workers Union Says…
This situation has the potential to squeeze the life out of the UK’s recovery, just as the economy is showing signs of fresh impetus. What we need to see is a clear and decisive plan that challenges the idea that the logistics logjam will mainly be solved by international cooperation.
There are routes that we can take as a country that will boost numbers of warehouse workers and give them a better deal. Amongst them is the urgent need to help firms slip the bonds of onerous planning restrictions so that additional warehouse space can be built. This would help tackle the lack of space at times of high demand, when pickers are forced to take on duties that would normally be performed in shops. And of course we need to promote the idea of warehouse work to young people by breaking perceptions that the work lacks stimulation, good pay and prospects.
These are credible answers that back the ingenuity, hard work and resolve of the British people. Now we need policy makers to take them seriously.
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