Tim Martin, Beer & Brexit: Crisis, what crisis?
Tim Martin is trending on twitter not it appears because of his stylish haircut but because there is a shortage of beer from Carling and Coors at some Wetherspoons pubs. This is reportedly because the breweries themselves have a shortage of lorry drivers to deliver the beer.
I don’t drink either Carling or Coors but its not great news for those who like a cheap-ish pint or two of either in Spoons.
Predictably and the real reason for Martin trending was the deluge of Remainiacs* pointing out that he was a big fan of Brexit and this is all due to Brexit.
There is some truth in this. Unfortunately British capitalism was not doing brilliantly, for example on wages and working conditions, before Britain left the EU and it still isn’t. Equally unfortunately the shortage of truck drivers is not confined to the UK (its worldwide) and its not new either having been developing for the best part of 20 years.
I glean these points from the Financial Times(31st August) which has regularly reported on the crisis.
Britain has a shortage of 100,000 truck drivers which is due in part to Brexit- both the departure of drivers to other EU countries but also visa issues with an in-flow of drivers from the EU. Covid hasn’t helped and nor according to the FT have tax changes earlier in the year. In short Brexit is part of the problem but not the whole problem.
The FT notes that the average age of a British lorry driver is now 55 and spending long hours in a cab on the road may not be as attractive as it once may have been. The main issue it seems in the context of this is pay. Driving an HGV is a skilled job. Wages for some have risen 21% in the last year to £36K and some supermarkets are offering more but recruiting and training younger drivers takes time.
As for Martin he might reflect on the fact that pay and conditions are not the best at Wetherspoons and a union is not recognised and that is something which can also impact his business in other ways. Many drivers are unionised though, hence the wage rises and likely partial solution. In due course.
*I voted remain.
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