Retailers played their role in delivery crisis, says union

Unite, which has members in both the food and drink business and in road transport, says that proposals to recruit EU drivers which would  mean “raiding other countries of their workers” would just be a quick fix to bigger problems.

Bev Clarkson, Unite’s national officer for the food, drink and agriculture sector, said that insecure work, low wages and unpleasant working conditions are the root causes of labour shortages.

She added: “The supermarkets fostered and became ever more dependent on a supply chain based on a high turnover of cheap labour.

“But that model, which was exploitative, is broken, and the supermarkets must take responsibility for making it fit for purpose.”

Clarkson’s colleague, Adrian Jones, national officer for road transport, said: “The solution for industry is not to raid other countries of their workers, but to sit down with Unite and make HGV driving a more attractive proposition.”