Convening the army and easing visas: measures under consideration by the UK to avoid fuel shortages

The UK on Friday tried to quell panic over the shortage in gas stations, before the closure of some stations and the appearance of queues in others, for which does not exclude the use of the military or the relaxation of visas for community carriers.

The alarm went off on Thursday, when the BP oil company has announced the temporary closure of “some” establishments in the country given the difficulties in making deliveries of gasoline and diesel due to the lack of drivers.

Unlike the gas shortage from which the country suffers – derived from the high prices of raw materials and which has come to paralyze some factories -, the problem with gasoline is due only to the shortage of truckers.

Fuel supply crises tend to operate with a perverse mechanism: the more we talk about shortages, the more drivers rush to fill their tanks and the faster the pumps empty.

For this reason, both the government and the owners of the gas stations today have been made calls to citizens not to refuel urgently unless they need it.

Despite everything, the Minister of Transport, Grant shapps, acknowledged in statements to the British media that “exclude nothing“Ensure supply, including recourse to the mobilization of the military.

“Obviously if that (going to the army) will help we will call them. While there are technical issues, such as seeing if they can drive commercial trucks, they could play other roles, such as reviewing and training carriers, ”Shapps told the channel. BBC.

He also admitted that granting temporary visas to community members is under consideration., although he insisted that “this will not jeopardize” the conditions of the sector “with cheaper European drivers”, since, in his opinion, this “It wouldn’t solve the problem, and it would just create a new one.”

The role of Brexit

Government tries to minimize Brexit impact on driver shortage. In the Conservative cabinet, many are opposed to these temporary visas so that community truckers can return home, which has already been done exceptionally in sectors such as agriculture.

The Road Carriers Association (RHA) does not hide the influence of the UK’s exit from the EU, but it inscribes it in a larger issue that it catalogs as “Perfect storm”.

RHA estimates there are 100,000 fewer truckers than needed right now and that due to their high average age, more carriers leave the profession each week than those who enter.

According to Rod McKenzie, spokesperson for the association, the final entry into force of Brexit at the beginning of this year led to the loss of some 20,000 community drivers, and This was accompanied by the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of some 40,000 examinations planned to grant new licenses..

A global problem

A recent study by Indeed, the UK’s largest job search engine, found that between February and July of this year, salaries in advertised jobs They had increased in this sector by 5.7%, but in the same period the number of clicks on each offer had fallen by 21%.

Indeed’s Chief Economist for Europe, Pawel adrjanexplained to the agency EFE What found that in various industries companies are lobbying UK authorities to make it easier to hire EU citizens, although the shortage of manpower in transport is a phenomenon which extends beyond UK borders.

(By Enrique Rubio – EFE)

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