Slaughterhouses, butcher shops, and meat processors in Great Britain are futilely trying to solve the labor shortage problem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, and their search has led them to prisoners, British media report.
Industry leaders discussed with the government on Monday the possibilities of connecting businesses with prisons to fill vacant positions.
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers stated to the BBC that they currently have about 14,000 job vacancies, which corresponds to about 15 percent of the workforce in the sector.
COVID, Brexit, and the perception of jobs in the meat industry could trigger an ’employment crisis’, they warned.
Businesses will therefore seek to connect with open prisons whose inmates are involved in the Release on Temporary License (ROTL) program for gaining work experience and easier reintegration into the community, the association reported.
Tony Goodger from the association announced that he will contact members who need workers and collaborate with the Ministry of Justice to connect them with prison services for the employment of current and former inmates.
Some members of the association have already employed prisoners through ROTL, Goodger noted, adding that they are ‘decent, hardworking, and eager to learn’, and many have also acquired food safety skills while in prison, which will help them secure jobs in the meat industry.
Turkey meat producer Bernard Matthews has already established connections with HMP Norwich and regularly visits it as part of the recruitment cycle to assess candidates and offer inmates contracts that begin after their release.
The food industry has also tried to find workers among former soldiers, but the response has been weak, BBC reports.
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