Supermarket shelves are “empty” What afflicts Britain ... October 14, 16:47

The image above is a supermarket in London that I took this month.

At the local supermarket, the shelves of vegetables and fruits are empty like this, and it's hard to get what you want.

Some products may not be in stock even after waiting for a week.

The water in the plastic bottle has been sold out all the time.

Goods are replenished almost every day.

What was taken for granted is no longer taken for granted in the UK.

(London Bureau Chief Mari Mukai)

The shelves remain empty

Even if I go to the supermarket, there is nothing.

I had the same experience last spring.

It was a so-called lockdown period when going out was severely restricted due to the spread of the new corona infection.

The hoarding of toilet paper, pasta, eggs, etc. spread all at once, and all products disappeared from the store.

I also went to many supermarkets in search of eggs, but I couldn't buy them at all.

I finally got it a few weeks later.

This time, the situation seems to be different depending on the area, but at the supermarket near my house, I can buy toilet paper and eggs without any problems, and the hoarding like at that time has not occurred.

On the other hand, there is not enough fresh food such as vegetables and fruits.

Water in PET bottles is also difficult to replenish.

The products line up as if I remembered them from time to time, but they sell out quickly and it's not easy to get them as you wish.

Even though there are things ...

Why is this happening?

On the empty shelves of the supermarket, there was a message like this addressed to the customers.

"Some items have not arrived due to shipping problems nationwide." What is

missing is not the item.

There is a shortage of heavy truck drivers across the UK to carry the goods.

Impact on medical practice

The impact of the shortage of truck drivers is not limited to supermarkets.

In the United Kingdom, influenza vaccination has been underway since September, along with the third vaccination of the new corona vaccine, in preparation for the winter epidemic.

However, the transportation of this influenza vaccine was delayed, and the doctor at the vaccination site I interviewed did not arrive as planned, and it seemed that it was difficult to make a plan.

The impact on food procurement in restaurants is beginning to appear.

When I visited a Japanese restaurant in London, he said, "The market is lined with a little old vegetables. I wonder if it's taking a long time to transport."

I should have returned to "everyday" ...

The problem became more serious when the new corona infection control was almost abolished and the summer vacation was over.

Economic activity has returned to its former form, and logistics has become more active, highlighting the lack of drivers.

Gasoline shortage symbolizes this situation.

Due to the lack of truck drivers who could drive large tank trucks to meet the increasing demand, transportation to gas stations was delayed.

Some stands are closed because there is no gasoline to sell.

Anxious people rushed to the open stand, causing a so-called "panic-by".

This video was shot by a friend in London at 1:30 am in late September.

Gasoline was shipped to the stand this afternoon, and the line waiting for refueling was uninterrupted at night.

In this way, it is said that long lines were formed at the stands in various places, and there was a fight between drivers.

The same thing is happening with deliveries to supermarkets and medical facilities.

I knew there was a labor shortage

This shortage of drivers is a problem that has been said to be safe at any time.

The background is Britain's departure from the EU.

Workers from the EU have supported the UK's economic activity in a variety of areas, including heavy truck drivers and service industries such as restaurants and hotels.

However, following the complete withdrawal in January, Britain tightened its acceptance of immigrants from the EU.

For low-wage workers, hurdles to work in the UK, such as visa acquisition and English proficiency, have been raised.

For this reason, it was pointed out that withdrawal would reduce the number of workers from the EU.

In addition, the spread of the new corona infection has added to the fact that many workers have returned from the United Kingdom to their own countries, and the impact has spread more than expected.

"Human resources development in Japan" is so easy?

Industry groups estimate that the shortage of heavy truck drivers is around 100,000 in the UK as a whole and are calling for easing visa requirements for workers from the EU.

However, Prime Minister Johnson cannot easily admit deregulation of immigration just because he has achieved withdrawal and won the general election with a promise to regulate immigration.

Prime Minister Johnson

"The British economy will never return to the way it used to be with low wages, low skills and low productivity."

Prime Minister Johnson argued that companies should invest in human resources development and develop themselves rather than relying on low-wage labor from the EU and other countries.

It is now in the transition stage to an economy with high wages, high skills and high productivity.

The government is trying to survive the turmoil with short-term measures.

In addition to deploying troops to support the transportation of gasoline, it will issue visas for a limited time to about 5,000 heavy-duty truck drivers.

However, this alone does not solve the shortage of drivers.

In the first place, it takes time to develop human resources in Japan, which the government claims.

In the end, the movement to secure a driver became stronger and the salary soared.

Some even tell the story of a driver that wages have risen by as much as 40% at once.

Even though Prime Minister Johnson is aiming for a "high-wage" economy, this is extreme, and it is true that rapid changes are causing turmoil in society.

Moreover, even with high salaries, we don't know how many workers will be able to come all the way to the UK for a short job of just a few months.

Anxiety spreading for Christmas

Further concerns are now widespread among the British.

This is the most important impact on Christmas of the year.

At Christmas, families get together and eat together, but there are not enough people to process turkeys and pigs, which are indispensable for the table, and they are worried.

If pigs cannot be shipped, they have no choice but to dispose of them, and the industry is angry with the government and demanding a response.

Last Christmas, the spread of the mutant virus restricted even family gatherings.

People are looking forward to spending most of their time with their families as the new Corona regulations are almost gone.

It is a situation that could give water to such expectations.

It's been more than 9 months since I left the EU completely.

Negative effects are slowly tightening Britain.

Mari Mukai,

Director of London Bureau

Joined in 1998

After working at the International Department and Sydney Bureau, she is

currently in

charge

of political and

social issues in the

United Kingdom.