FDF response to the MAC report on the impact of EEA migration in the UK
18 September 2018
FDF response to the MAC report on the impact of EEA migration in the UK
Ian Wright CBE, FDF Chief Executive, said:
“The proposals in today's MAC report fail to suggest solutions that would ensure the UK's food and drink manufacturing industry would continue to have access to EU workers across the full range of skill levels.
“The report has some encouraging proposals. We welcome the suggestions relating to the Tier 2 visa system, including widening the range of jobs permitted within the tier, removing the resident labour market test, and abolishing a cap on the numbers of employees within this tier. Yet amendments to the Tier 2 visa system alone would still not offer our industry the flexibility needed to employ reactively.
“Any new system that constricts and constrains businesses' ability to grow or to deal with changing consumer demand will do nothing to improve wage growth and may increase the cost of food and drink in the long-term. It is essential that Government prioritises migration in EU negotiations to ensure UK food and drink manufacturers have access to the employees they need at all skill levels.”
More Information
Contact Ted Woodward, Corporate Affairs Division, at: ted.woodward@fdf.org.uk, or +44 (0) 20 7420 7140.
