‘I will never go back’: Eastern European truckers not returning to UK after Brexit
-Working conditions, tax changes and Covid also contribute to labour shortage

“我永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)回去”：東歐卡車司機(jī)在英國(guó)脫歐后不再回到英國(guó)
——工作條件、稅收變化和新冠疫情也導(dǎo)致了勞動(dòng)力短缺


(Rush hour on the UK’s M1 motorway.)

（英國(guó)M1高速公路的交通流量高峰期。）
新聞：

After 14 years working as a lorry driver in the UK, Zsolt Gabor hung up his keys at the end of March and went back to Hungary for good.

在英國(guó)干了14年的卡車司機(jī)后，若爾特·伽柏在3月底交掉了鑰匙，永久地回到了匈牙利。

Conditions had become unbearable during the coronavirus pandemic, which along with the effects of Brexit has left Britain at least 90,000 truck drivers short, manifesting itself in growing supply chain problems.

在大流行期間，情況變得難以忍受，再加上英國(guó)脫歐的影響，英國(guó)至少缺少9萬(wàn)名卡車司機(jī)，供應(yīng)鏈問(wèn)題日益嚴(yán)重。

Gabor said the shortage of drivers, and problems trying to find a flight back to Hungary because of pandemic restrictions, effectively meant his final shift in the UK lasted three months with only the mandatory minimum breaks. He was never off for more than 45 hours.

伽柏說(shuō)，司機(jī)短缺，以及由于疫情限制而無(wú)法找到航班返回匈牙利，實(shí)際上意味著他在英國(guó)的最后一次輪班持續(xù)了三個(gè)月，只有強(qiáng)制性的最低休息時(shí)間。他從未休息過(guò)超過(guò)45小時(shí)。

At the height of the pandemic that meant his lorry’s cab was his home. The final straw came when a policeman ordered him back into his truck citing lockdown restrictions. “I was not even allowed to take a walk at the end of my shift,” he said. With a bad back and a family waiting back in Hungary, Gabor decided he had had enough.

在疫情最嚴(yán)重的時(shí)候，他的卡車駕駛室就是他的家?！白詈笠桓静荨笔牵阂幻煲苑怄i限制為由命令他回到卡車上。他說(shuō)：“他們甚至不讓我在下班后下車散步。”背傷纏身，又有家人在匈牙利等著他，伽柏覺(jué)得自己已經(jīng)受夠了。

Logistics UK, the trade body for hauliers, said Britain had a chronic driver shortage for many years, but the problem was now acute. Industry leaders have called on the government to add heavy goods vehicle drivers to its shortage occupation list, which would give foreign hauliers an exemption from post-Brexit immigration rules that bar them from being hired.

英國(guó)物流協(xié)會(huì)表示，英國(guó)多年來(lái)一直存在司機(jī)短缺的問(wèn)題，但現(xiàn)在這個(gè)問(wèn)題很嚴(yán)重。行業(yè)領(lǐng)袖呼吁政府將重型貨車司機(jī)列入緊缺職業(yè)名單，這將使外國(guó)貨車司機(jī)免受英國(guó)脫歐后禁止雇傭他們的移民規(guī)定的限制。

The government has not completely ruled out taking action but late last month Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary, wrote to business leaders urging them to hire UK-based workers instead, pointing out that foreign labour offered only “a short-term, temporary solution”.

政府并未完全排除采取行動(dòng)的可能性，但上月末，英國(guó)商務(wù)大臣克瓦西·克瓦滕致信商界領(lǐng)袖，敦促他們轉(zhuǎn)而聘用英國(guó)本地的員工，并指出外國(guó)勞工只能提供“一個(gè)短期、臨時(shí)的解決方案”。

Even if an exemption was granted, it seems unlikely many of those that have left the UK will return so readily. The Financial Times has spoken to dozens of eastern European HGV drivers who used to work in Britain but have gone elsewhere to work.

即使獲得豁免，許多已經(jīng)離開(kāi)英國(guó)的人似乎也不太可能如此輕易地再回來(lái)。英國(guó)《金融時(shí)報(bào)》采訪了數(shù)十名東歐貨車司機(jī)，他們?cè)谟?guó)工作，但現(xiàn)已前往其他地方工作。

Many cite similar tales of poor working conditions for quitting but other reasons include poor wages compounded by a tax reform, known as IR35, that prevented most drivers from operating as limited companies, resulting in a significant cut to take-home pay.

許多人提到了類似的辭職原因，即工作條件差，但其他原因包括工資低，再加上一項(xiàng)名為IR35的稅制改革，該改革阻止大多數(shù)司機(jī)以有限公司的形式經(jīng)營(yíng)，導(dǎo)致實(shí)得工資大幅下降。
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Add to that Brexit. For truckers, that meant endless paperwork, including customs procedures they were never trained for and queues at the border. Other issues included the need to take UK driving exams that many truckers did not have the language skills for, along with a more hostile attitude to foreigners in Britain.

再加上英國(guó)脫歐。對(duì)卡車司機(jī)來(lái)說(shuō)，這意味著沒(méi)完沒(méi)了的文件手續(xù)，包括他們從未接受過(guò)培訓(xùn)的海關(guān)手續(xù)和在邊境排隊(duì)。其他問(wèn)題包括需要參加英國(guó)的駕駛考試，而許多卡車司機(jī)不具備這方面的語(yǔ)言技能，以及英國(guó)對(duì)外國(guó)人的態(tài)度更加敵視。

Moreover, Europe as a whole is short of truckers. “It is a global driver shortage across Europe, not an isolated problem of one country,” said Zsolt Barna, chief executive of Waberer’s, one of eastern Europe’s largest hauliers based in Budapest.

此外，作為一個(gè)整體，歐洲缺乏卡車司機(jī)?！斑@是整個(gè)歐洲的全球司機(jī)短缺問(wèn)題，而不是一個(gè)國(guó)家的孤立問(wèn)題，”總部位于布達(dá)佩斯的東歐最大貨運(yùn)公司之一Waberer 's的首席執(zhí)行官佐索特·巴納說(shuō)。

He pointed out that Romania, an important source of truckers for the UK over the years, was 20,000 drivers short — out of a population of 20 million.

他指出，多年來(lái)一直是英國(guó)重要的卡車司機(jī)來(lái)源國(guó)的羅馬尼亞，卻少了2萬(wàn)名司機(jī)——該國(guó)只有2000萬(wàn)人口。

For the EU drivers that have left but still have the right to return and live in the UK, the prospects of higher pay that some UK companies are now offering was not enough. Many said they had already found work elsewhere on higher wages and in a better working environment.

對(duì)于已經(jīng)離開(kāi)但仍有權(quán)返回英國(guó)并在英國(guó)生活的歐盟司機(jī)來(lái)說(shuō)，一些英國(guó)公司目前提供的更高薪酬前景是不夠的。許多人表示，他們已經(jīng)在別處找到了工資更高、工作環(huán)境更好的工作。

Peter Kovecs, another Hungarian, lasted two years in England. After inheriting his family’s farm he came to the UK to earn money to reinvest in the business and had planned to stay for longer. But after his experience he said nothing would tempt him back.

另一位匈牙利人彼得·科維奇在英國(guó)呆了兩年。在繼承了家族農(nóng)場(chǎng)后，他來(lái)到英國(guó)賺錢，再投資于企業(yè)，并計(jì)劃在英國(guó)呆更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。但在經(jīng)歷了這些之后，他說(shuō)沒(méi)有什么能再吸引他回來(lái)了。

“They bullied us while the drivers kept coming,” Kovecs said. “Now they are begging us.” Once he had saved ￡60,000 he decided to go home even though that was below the target he had set himself. “I will never go back. I like England, it’s a great country, I will take the family there one day, but to work, the way they treat people? Never again.”

科維奇說(shuō)：“在（歐盟）司機(jī)不斷過(guò)來(lái)的時(shí)候，他們欺負(fù)我們?，F(xiàn)在他們?cè)谇笪覀??！碑?dāng)他攢下6萬(wàn)英鎊后，他決定回家，盡管這低于他為自己設(shè)定的目標(biāo)?！拔以僖膊换赜?guó)了。我喜歡英國(guó)，這是一個(gè)偉大的國(guó)家，有一天我會(huì)帶我的家人去那里，但至于工作，還有他們對(duì)待人的方式？沒(méi)有以后了。”

Krzysztof, who declined to give his surname, worked for four years in the UK before returning to Poland in 2020. His wife became pregnant and they decided they wanted the child to be raised in their homeland.

拒絕透露自己姓氏的克日什托夫，他在英國(guó)工作了四年，于2020年回到波蘭。他的妻子懷孕了，他們決定讓孩子留在他們的祖國(guó)長(zhǎng)大。

He drives trucks in Poland and Germany and has no plans to return to the UK permanently, even if the pay was better. He said IR35 was the final straw for him and many Polish drivers he knew.

他在波蘭和德國(guó)開(kāi)卡車，并沒(méi)有永久返回英國(guó)的計(jì)劃，即使工資更高。他說(shuō)IR35改革對(duì)他和他認(rèn)識(shí)的許多波蘭司機(jī)來(lái)說(shuō)是“最后一根稻草”。

“From what I know, many drivers came back [to Poland] because they could no longer work as independent contractors. Most of the people that I know [in the UK] want to come back, invest their money in Poland.”

“據(jù)我所知，許多司機(jī)回到（波蘭）是因?yàn)樗麄儫o(wú)法再作為獨(dú)立承包商工作。我認(rèn)識(shí)的（在英國(guó)開(kāi)車的）大多數(shù)人都想回來(lái)，把錢投資到波蘭?！?/b>

In contrast, after living in the UK for eight years, where he worked mostly in warehouses, Jakub Burzykowski had intended to return after going home to Poland to obtain an HGV licence.

相比之下，雅各布·伯茲科夫斯基在英國(guó)生活了8年，在那里他主要在倉(cāng)庫(kù)工作，他本打算在回到波蘭考到卡車駕照后回英國(guó)（開(kāi)車）。

“I heard that the wages [of truck drivers] in the UK were great and there was a shortage of drivers so there shouldn’t be any problem with finding a job,” he said.

他表示：“我聽(tīng)說(shuō)英國(guó)（卡車司機(jī)）的工資很高，而且司機(jī)短缺，所以找工作應(yīng)該不成問(wèn)題?！?/b>

But on his return earlier this year he was refused entry and deported due to a mix-up over his right to work in the UK, known as EU settled status. He now works in Germany. “What would make Polish drivers choose the UK instead of Germany? Simplified visa procedures. From what I read, there was some pressure on the British government to simplify it, but they said no.”

但今年早些時(shí)候，他回國(guó)時(shí)被拒絕入境，并被驅(qū)逐出境，原因是他搞混了他在英國(guó)工作的權(quán)利，即所謂的“歐盟定居身份”。他現(xiàn)在在德國(guó)工作?！盀槭裁矗ㄒ郧埃┎ㄌm司機(jī)會(huì)選擇英國(guó)而不是德國(guó)？因?yàn)楹炞C手續(xù)簡(jiǎn)單。據(jù)我所知，（現(xiàn)在）英國(guó)政府受到了一些要求簡(jiǎn)化手續(xù)的壓力，但他們拒絕了?！?/b>

He added: “I really wanted to work in the UK, I have some friends and a part of my family lives there... I miss it.”

他補(bǔ)充道：“我真的很想在英國(guó)工作，我有一些朋友和家人在那里生活……我想念它。”

Dan Myers, managing director of transport in UK and Ireland at XPO Logistics, urged the government to reconsider adding lorry drivers to the shortage occupation list. “As a short-term, interim solution, it’s a sensible, pragmatic way,” he said.

XPO物流公司英國(guó)和愛(ài)爾蘭運(yùn)輸部總經(jīng)理丹·邁爾斯敦促政府重新考慮將卡車司機(jī)列入短缺職業(yè)名單?！白鳛橐粋€(gè)短期、臨時(shí)的解決方案，這是一種明智、務(wù)實(shí)的方式，”他說(shuō)。

But Kieran Smith, chief executive of Driver Require, a recruitment agency, disagreed. “If we work on the basis of bringing back foreign workers as the solution, then we are grievously misguided,” he said, noting that it was better to focus on attracting back some of the 300,000 Brits who hold HGV licences but have quit.

但招聘機(jī)構(gòu)Driver Require的首席執(zhí)行官基蘭·史密斯這么認(rèn)為。他說(shuō)：“如果我們的工作基礎(chǔ)是把外國(guó)工人帶回英國(guó)作為解決方案，那我們就被嚴(yán)重誤導(dǎo)了?！彼赋?，最好把重點(diǎn)放在吸引回30萬(wàn)持有卡車駕照但已經(jīng)辭職的英國(guó)司機(jī)當(dāng)中的一部分。

He pointed to Office for National Statistics data that showed at the start of the pandemic about 40,000 of the 300,000 truck drivers in the UK were from the EU. By the end of March 2021, that figure had halved to around 20,000, but about 5,000 had returned since April.

他指出，英國(guó)國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，疫情開(kāi)始時(shí)，英國(guó)30萬(wàn)卡車司機(jī)中約有4萬(wàn)名來(lái)自歐盟。到2021年3月底，這一數(shù)字已減半至約2萬(wàn)人，但自4月以來(lái)約有5000人返回。
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The ONS also found that 50,000 UK-based drivers had left the profession since the pandemic began, mainly those over 45. “My hypothesis is that these older drivers had been stood down during the pandemic, or were isolating from Covid-19, and then realised they didn’t want to come back to it at their age,” he said.

英國(guó)國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局還發(fā)現(xiàn)，自疫情開(kāi)始以來(lái)，有5萬(wàn)名英國(guó)司機(jī)離開(kāi)了這個(gè)行業(yè)，主要是45歲以上的人。他說(shuō)：“我的假設(shè)是，這些年長(zhǎng)的司機(jī)在大流行期間被禁止駕駛，或者被隔離以防感染，然后意識(shí)到他們不希望在這個(gè)年齡再次上路駕駛了?！?/b>

For Gabor, his decision to quit trucking pushed him into driver recruitment back in Hungary after his former British employer asked him for help to find a replacement. Ultimately, though, the post-Brexit immigration rules have meant his agency, RightDriver, ended up focusing on Ireland.

對(duì)于伽柏來(lái)說(shuō)，在他決定退出卡車運(yùn)輸業(yè)，而他的前英國(guó)雇主請(qǐng)求他幫助尋找替代人選后，促使他回到匈牙利招聘司機(jī)。然而，英國(guó)脫歐后的移民規(guī)定最終意味著他的機(jī)構(gòu)RightDriver最終聚焦于愛(ài)爾蘭。

He has begun tapping drivers in non-EU Balkan states, including Serbia and North Macedonia, and said if they could not work in Ireland they would be available to work in the UK. “They would just have to lift the restrictions already.”

他已開(kāi)始接觸塞爾維亞和北馬其頓等非歐盟巴爾干國(guó)家的司機(jī)，并表示，如果他們無(wú)法在愛(ài)爾蘭工作，可以到英國(guó)工作。“但他們必須先取消這些限制。”