Polish truck drivers are declining to offer to help out in Great Britain

Polish truck drivers are declining to offer to help out in Great Britain for three months in the fight against supply shortages. "No thanks, Prime Minister, I will not take this opportunity," says Jakub Pajka behind the wheel of his red truck in a parking lot outside Warsaw. "No driver wants to move for just three months just to make it easier for the British to prepare for the Christmas holidays." The 35-year-old quit his job in the UK because of Brexit. On Sunday, the British government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that it would issue 5,000 visas for foreign truck drivers until December 24 in view of ongoing supply shortages. Their main task is to transport gasoline to filling stations. The extra money could not make up for the hassle of moving, the threat of migrants trying to cross the English Channel in the back of a truck, or being separated from his family, says Pajka. "The money that can be made in the UK does not compensate a driver for all the dangerous things that happen to him there." Jacek Rembikowski, a 60-year-old trucker in another parking lot, has a similar opinion. He worked in the UK for seven years before returning to Poland because of the UK's exit from the European Union. At that time it was unclear how the drivers would be treated and whether they would still be needed after Brexit, explains Rembikowski. There is an estimated 100,000 shortage of truck drivers in the UK. Because of the Brexit, many truckers have returned to the European continent. In addition, the corona restrictions meant that training came to a standstill. Economy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said soldiers could help out with the gasoline deliveries. A limited number of military tank truck drivers had been put on standby. They should be used for supply when required. The British Medical Association demanded preferential fuel access for health workers so that they can come to hospitals and practices.