EU Staff Are Vital To The Industry – Ridgeway Training – CPC London

Freight Transport Association (FTA) Chief Executive, David Wells, told Transport Secretary Chris Grayling that EU workers are as vital to the logistics industry as they are to the NHS and construction sector.

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Mr Wells met the Mr Grayling to outline the Association’s priorities to ensure Britain’s businesses stay competitive after Brexit. The FTA has over 15,000 members who transport goods by rail, road, sea and air – many of these members trade with Europe regularly.

Mr Wells has highlighted the current labour shortages within the transport industry – not only of drivers but also for forklift operators and warehouse staff. Currently, EU nationals make up around 11% of the total workforce in the freight industry.

The shortages could potentially mean that British firms would need to retain existing EU workers and continue to recruit from outside the UK – currently, there are 31,500 EU nationals working as drivers in the UK.

Mr Wells said to the Secretary of State that it was vital that any new trade agreements did not add red tape or make British goods more expensive. He also addressed access to the Single Market and border controls, saying that cross-Channel and cross-border security could be most effectively maintained by retaining border checks in Calais.

After the meeting took place, Mr Wells said: “For FTA members it’s vital to keep Britain trading and ensure that their businesses remain competitive in the European market. It’s a period of great uncertainty but there is much the Government can do to bolster confidence in British businesses.

“The Transport Secretary took FTA members’ concerns on board and said he would press for tariff-free trade and endeavour to make the movement of goods as easy as possible.”

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