Moray MP writes to Immigration minister on labour shortage in fishing industry
Douglas Ross, MP for Moray and his Scottish Conservative backbench colleagues in Westminster have written to the Minister of State for Immigration Caroline Nokes expressing their concern over barriers preventing non-European Economic Area nationals working on inshore vessels around the United Kingdom.
The Scottish fleet is struggling to recruit the labour it needs to satisfy demand on inshore vessels, and is not able to look beyond the EEA due to the current visa rules. These jobs are often viewed as low-skilled but the reality is these are fishermen who are experienced and seasoned professionals.
Douglas said: “I have been working with local fishermen from Lossiemouth and elsewhere in Moray to highlight this issue. We need a long-term solution that will allow the fishing industry to access the labour it needs while not taking employment opportunities away from the local workforce or increasing the possibility of foreign nationals being exploited for their work.
“Fishing is a vital industry for Scotland, and we must ensure that it has access to the workforce it requires to continue to thrive. At the moment, there are shortages in labour for inshore vessels which need to be urgently addressed.
“It is clear there are people ready and willing to come to Scotland and the UK to work in the industry so we have to clear the hurdles which are currently preventing them from doing so.
“Previously, concessions were made by the Home Office to allow non-EEA nationals to work on inshore vessels around the United Kingdom, which is why I and the other Scottish Conservative backbench MPs are writing to the Home Office asking if such concessions could be made again.
“By working constructively with the Minster on this issue I hope we will be able to arrive at a solution to this challenge, and allow the fishing industry to recruit labour from around the world.”