Tesco is offering a £1,000 signing fee to truck drivers who join the company before the end of September as it scrambles to overcome the problem that has caused a severe shortage of workers. Gaps in supermarket shelves.
The bonus has been advertised through a job advertisement posted on Tesco’s website, and the supermarket told potential candidates: “You will play an important role for our customers and the community, on behalf of Tesco On the highways and trails in the UK. “
The offer for HGV drivers was made in the fierce competition for those with professional licenses Brexit, The Covid-19 pandemic and tax changes have prompted some drivers to leave the industry.
The surge in demand for home delivery has also provided drivers with a series of alternative employment opportunities, possibly without non-social time for long-distance travel.
These difficulties have led to empty shelves in some supermarkets across the country, especially after the surge in demand for certain products such as ice cream, salad or beer in hot weather. These problems have become more serious as the number of people infected with the new coronavirus increases and drivers, warehouse employees, and store staff need to self-quarantine after being notified of NHS testing and tracking apps.
The retailer warned that they might Strive to meet demand into the fall A CBI survey showed that after a few months of stagnation, inventory levels fell to historical lows for the second consecutive month in July.
The British logistics company, which represents cargo owners including supermarkets, estimates that there are currently a shortage of 90,000 HGV drivers, of which about 25,000 are from the European Union who have returned home after Brexit. Most importantly, there is a backlog of 45,000 truck driving tests, which is expected to generate approximately 25,000 drivers.
“Tesco’s actions are a good demonstration of the supply and demand relationship. We have been warning about the shortage of drivers. We are now at the peak of school holidays. Drivers who are working in the pandemic want to vacation with their children,” said British Logistics. People say.
According to an analysis released by the National Bureau of Statistics last week, due to fierce competition, the number of online job advertisements for transportation, logistics and warehouse workers is now more than four times the number before the pandemic. This is the biggest boom in all industries.
Industry insiders said that due to worker competition, the wages of drivers have risen by 10% to 20%, but this has not produced enough new employees.
The government is trying to alleviate this problem by extending the number of hours that drivers can work uninterrupted and relaxing restrictions on early morning or late night deliveries. It also strengthened training facilities.
But the trade agency said Not deal with the immediate problem Because it may take more than six months to train a new HGV driver. The British logistics company hopes that the government will provide seasonal worker visas so that more drivers from the European Union can enter the UK, especially during the holidays when British drivers try to take vacations with their families.
There was news last week that Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s Some suppliers are required to pay extra To pay for the increased delivery costs after being forced to raise wages.
Asda wrote to suppliers using its collection service, demanding a 5% increase in transportation cost payments and accusing the country of a shortage of HGV drivers.
The third-largest supermarket in the UK said it needs help to deal with the 12% increase in driver costs in some areas.
Tesco sent a letter to some suppliers requesting an increase of nearly 18% in delivery payments by the end of last month, of which more than 10 percentage points were only due to the increase in driver wages.
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Asda’s detailed letter attributed the shortage of delivery drivers to Brexit, which affected the right of European drivers to work in the UK, and the coronavirus pandemic, which restricted cross-border travel and allowed many drivers to go home for a long time. Blockade, and lack of testing facilities.
Some existing drivers have also been postponed due to tax changes, which means that drivers who were previously considered self-employed and paid their own taxes and were able to offset the expenses must now be paid through PAYE.
