Brexit

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I don’t think that’s true. The brands affected are Carling (Burton-on-Trent) and Heineken (90%+ brewed in UK for our market).

[Kimbers]

So it's not just the UK. The USA also has a labour shortage. McDonalds have even started advertising for 14 year olds as they have such labour shortages!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58414597

[Colin P]

About bloody time too. It's really difficult for youngsters to get a part time job these days and it is an important part of growing up.

The boys were 17/18 before they managed to get a part time job (and believe it or not only by their uncle knowing the personnel officer!) and my daughter is 16 and struggling, in the meantime the supermarkets are pissing off their regular (for want of a better term) staff because  they want them "fully flexible" (basically you work a fixed number of hours, but whenever suits the employer including a couple of hours at a time, split shifts etc) and specifically making them work weekends and evenings.

Win Win - give permanent staff fixed hours, largely during the week and employ students for evenings and weekends - it's actually cheaper (as minimum wage below 18 is less) and guess what everyone is happy. Kind of like it was in the 1980 and 90s. But no, they'd rather treat their staff like crap.

[Barrykearley]

1 minute ago, Colin P said:

Win Win - give permanent staff fixed hours, largely during the week and employ students for evenings and weekends - it's actually cheaper (as minimum wage below 18 is less) and guess what everyone is happy. Kind of like it was in the 1980 and 90s. But no, they'd rather treat their staff like crap.

Sadly - service industry don’t seem to treat staff well. Using younger workers and paying them half the wage of someone 8months older seems bloody poor form to me.

[Colin P]

I get the bit about inequitable pay @Barrykearley, but the minimum wage is what it is. Under 18 is fair enough as they should be at school and hence it is "pocket money". Reduced rates up to 23 years old does seem inequitable (IMHO).

In any case my kids would/would have happily taken a part time job at a lower wage, just so that they could earn their own money. Or possibly more accurately it would have made it easier for me to cut them off and given them no choice!

Some really valid comments on here around employers paying decent rates and improving working conditions/treatment of staff at the lower end of the payscale. A lot of businesses making a lot of money on the back of bolting their wage and benefits budget to the floor.

The supermarkets are a case in point, massive profits, yet the vast majority of their staff are on minimum/living wage and expected to be pretty much on call 24/7/364 and an effective ban on any holidays over December/Christmas and Easter and if you want a school holiday book it 18 months in advance.

 

[Bibs]

We're really lucky to have a local that employs local teens and gives them good wages with tips and progression. 

My 15 year old daughter is new there and is a pot wash but it works out to just over £10/hour with tips and she's moving onto food prep in a couple of weeks. 

In fact they even look after us older folks, I manned the bar on Tuesday for the staff summer party in exchange for free beer and a nice meal for Rachel & I when we next pop in! I always wanted to pull a pint so it's a Jim'll Fix It moment without their weirdo in a tracksuit! 

[Colin P]

I believe @Bibs that you will find that this is some kind of loyalty reward scheme to ensure the ongoing patronage of their best customer 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

2 hours ago, Bibs said:

My 15 year old daughter is new there and is a pot wash but it works out to just over £10/hour with tips

Blimey, that’s more than my wife earns as a part-time receptionist at a private osteopathy clinic. 

[Kimbers]

Your wife needs a new job Michael! My son earns more than that at Burger King!

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Yes it’s shocking isn’t it? There’s basically a group of mums who cover Reception at the Practice for the entire working week on a part-time basis. Taking calls and e-mails, handling patients, booking in appointments, taking payments, doing the “socials”, tidying up, etc. Loads of ad hoc tasks too. All for £9.45 per hour.

She originally interviewed at another Practice elsewhere and the hourly rate there was no better and was barely worth the fuel costs.

[Kimbers]

Amazon now offering a £50 a week bonus for "Turning up on time (or at all)" and a £1000 bonus in first month of joining!

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58414875

[Barrykearley]

4 hours ago, Bibs said:

My 15 year old daughter is new there and is a pot wash but it works out to just over £10/hour with tips and she's moving onto food prep in a couple of weeks. 

Well played to her. Folks need to be willing to graft - and unwilling to do so for a pittance. All part of understanding your worth - and believing you can go out and do better. Sadly in the uk - folks blame the employers they continue to work for for the poor wages.  The one true thing we have in this country is choice - use it 🙌

[Colin P]

@LotusLeftLotusRightStill better than Mrs P @ £8.91 (minimum wage, same for all the floor staff) at the local Department Store (aka Grace brothers). 

More important is the work she is doing. Better lose £1.10 and hour than smell of burgers and grease. At the end of the day, part time and at that wage level all it does is determine whether I can go for the  extra cupholder option when speccing the next car, or the premium drinks package on the next cruise. 

[Kimbers]

43 minutes ago, Colin P said:

More important is the work she is doing. Better lose £1.10 and hour than smell of burgers and grease. 

What you saying?  My sons a Manager at BK and been there for 5 years. It's actually not a bad job and they take into account his Autism which many wouldn't.

[Colin P]

@Kimbers Wife ended up on the Hot Chicken counter at one of the supermarkets in her last job, she hated being greasy and smelly, hence give her the choice.... clearly though we are not dependant upon her wage and she is free to choose.

It's great that your son has a fulfilling role, I know a few autistic people and know how hard it can be.

[Barrykearley]

[C8RKH]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1488885/Michel-Barnier-Frexit-France-election-sovereignty-eu-courts-ECJ-ECHR-Brexit

 

You couldn't make it up, bloody Barnier of all people!   LMAO

[Barrykearley]

A twat he might be - but maybe he’s seen the light.

[Barrykearley]

The French are bitching and moaning again I see. Oh well.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-58616759

 

in other news M&S have closed branches in France due to lack of food caused by brexit according to the bbc - so it looks like the Eu must also have run out of food.

[C8RKH]

One of the major advantages of Brexit is the ability to watch the French Politicians constantly throwing their toys out of their pram 

It's even better and more comedy value than watching Yes Minister. And that was utterly brilliant!

Viva la Brexit!

[basalte]

On 04/08/2021 at 12:44, basalte said:

Since the driver shortage I am tempted to instead, ride that elephant in the room that some quite reasonably-it`s big news- invited onto this forum

- and it has wandered in again, pesky pachyderm ... Time to gaze into my crystal ball of hindsight...my post 4th August...

I see that Richard Burnett, the Chief Executive of the Road Haulage Association, is somewhat concerned. On 25th July 2021 he commented that :

" We`re facing potentially in the next 2/3 weeks a collapse of the supply chain and we will see even bigger gaps on supermarket shelves because we cannot get product into the supply chain. ...

This is a massive crisis - a crisis on a scale of which we have never seen before in this industry and Government is burying its head in the sand -it`s not recognising the seriousness of the situation

....we want the Government to recognise drivers and grant temporary visas to get more drivers into the country".

The inescapable conclusion(which from looking at many many previous posts I have no doubt some here will try to escape from nonetheless !)-the inescapable conclusion- is that the ending of the Single Market and Free Movement has negative consequences for the employment of HGV drivers.  Or is Mr. Burnett just another Project Fear spreader ?

   

 Just thought of posting this whilst in the queue at Thurrock Services, Saturday , 10.15pm...

[C8RKH]

Interestingly, the EU has a driver shortage of 400,000 HGV drivers. Poland has some 125,000 short, 25k more than the UK. In order of rank, by total numbers of drivers short, it goes Poland, UK, Germany, France, Italy.

Out of 600,000 UK registered HGV drivers, some 15,000 were from the EU, many, but not all, left since Brexit but not all overnight, on one night in September to create a fuel shortage. Nope. That was the media, the PRA, and fookbat consumers who did that!

So two questions:

1. How the heck has losing 15,000 (or thereabouts) EU cheap labour drivers caused such an issue - that's around 2.5% of the total number of drivers?
 

2. If the EU has such a shortage, where the heck are the drivers going to come from?  (please answer this question when you have understood that it is generally accepted that in Europe the HGV drivers are better respected, have access to far superior facilities (i.e. showers, toilets, food options etc) and good rates of pay).

 

All I hear is "Brexit" - what a hecking joke.  The problems with the supply chain in the UK have been growing for years. This is just an excuse to blame someone outside of the Industry for years of neglect, poor pay and conditions, and haulage firms and supermarkets who generally didn't give a shit about their drivers, their pay or their conditions. Oh i know. Let's blame it on Brexit!

The facts above should give some people food for thought re where the problems are. As for fuel, well, funny how it is still the South East with the majority of problems. Who would have thought... I'm off to wipe my arse with some of my stock piled toilet paper from last year!

[Barrykearley]

Funny thing is, despite Brexit, we in the UK still have a huge number of people content to live on long term benefits.

Who'd have thought it.

[C8RKH]

3 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

Funny thing is, despite Brexit, we in the UK still have a huge number of people content to live on long term benefits.

Who'd have thought it.

Loads of expats coming back from Spain. Driver shortage will be over soon.

[PaulCP]

BBC this morning reports that other industries are facing big labour shortages. Construction, farming, food prep etc. All apparently related to Brexit and people not wanting to do “that” type of work

They then showed that UK job vacancies were at a 10 year high.

What they failed to analyse, due to pushing their own agenda, is why so many are unemployed, how much is due to people not wanting to work because they have enjoyed the Govt handouts via the Furlough scheme and how those able but idle currently unemployed could fill some of those vacancies.

Sure, Brexit will have had some influence but I believe a major part is getting those who enjoyed being furloughed back to work.