Big issues not addressed in General Election campaign
We are now bearing down on the General Election and if the campaign has convinced me of anything, then it is simply that the Logistics Sector continues to be ignored in the corridors of power, says David Coombes.
Have you heard one mention of our sector in the debates or press coverage?
So let me send out my concerns into the universe and hope that someone in a position of influence reads them.
• The issue of customs and a hard border is really important. Politicians are seemingly fixated by the implications of Brexit on our tariffs. Of course this is important, but the currency has already fallen, so international financiers have effectively already taken care of what they expect will be the outcomes of Brexit negotiations. But for the sector, we need to have a clear position on customs and transactions at the border. How do we ensure that we don’t go back to the days when our produce is left to rot or spoil? This is the very live issue and is one that I worry about. It’s an obvious way and place where our trading partners can show that they are now our competitors.
• Ireland. It seems impossible that there will not be a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. The implications for the economy as well as the politics of the island seem to be enormous.
• Skills appear now to be back on the agenda. We need to be clear and realistic, the Logistics Sector has a huge problem with recruiting and retaining skilled labour. For some years the challenge has been overcome by employing migrants. Our warehouses routinely have instructions and communications in multiple languages which illustrates our reliance on foreign workers. Where are we going to get our talented people from in the future? If we are unable to import skills then we need a cultural shift within the sector where we really invest in the skills of our workforce. We need a government willing to support us and who will put the power in our hands.
As you will know, the future of workforce is my real passion. For so long, we have heard that skills is a problem, but no one has really got to grips with it.
I recently heard of another FE college who abandoned their interest in working with the Logistics Sector. Apparently we were too demanding and work such strange hours! We seemed to expect a level of customer service that the college couldn’t provide.
Mrs May, Mr Corbyn, Mr Farron, and the others, skills will matter more than ever post Brexit. Growing our own is possible, but you’re going to have to let employers lead the way.
David Coombes, founder and managing director of Logistics Job Shop
