London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Covid staff shortages will continue into New Year

Covid staff shortages will continue into New Year

Staff shortages continue to blight retailers and hospitality firms, with one warning of closures if Covid absences worsen.

David Josephs, boss of food importer and retailer All Greens, told the BBC he could be forced to temporarily shut outlets and redeploy remaining staff.

The chief executive of pub group Fullers said things are improving but hundreds of staff are still off work.

Some firms saw 50% of staff off pre-Christmas, one employers' group said.

It comes as ministers consider how the public sector handles mass absences.

The government has asked public sector managers to test their contingency plans against a worst-case scenario of 25% staff absence, as part of efforts to minimise disruption from surging infections from the Omicron variant of Covid.

Ministers are due to review Plan B restrictions on Wednesday, although Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday "there's nothing in the data" to suggest further coronavirus measures will be needed later this week.

Mr Josephs, which sells fruit and vegetables to businesses such as restaurants, said that before Christmas he had about 15% of his workforce isolating or sick. "We have had to re-deploy staff from stores into other stores to keep them moving," he said.


No stores have yet had to close, but "it's possible that we would have to" if absences rise, he added.

He said his industry had ramped up testing, but Mr Josephs was "not convinced it's the answer.

"A lot of staff in the sector do not get paid sick pay - ours do - and therefore when they receive positive tests they ignore them.

"Throughout the jobs market - not just in our sector - a large minority or staff on limited contracts or minimum wage cannot afford to be off work and just ignore [positive tests]".

Sick pay


Meanwhile, Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fullers, told the BBC sickness levels among staff have improved in the past week.

The company has 420 pubs and hotels across the country, but is focused on London, where rates of Covid infections had been particularly high.

Before Christmas he had about 450 of his 4,000 staff off ill or isolating. "That's now down to about 250. So things are improving," he said.

Around 20 Fullers sites in the capital have been closed temporarily before Christmas because of falling sales, which he blamed on England's policy of work from home if possible.

Sales at the group are "significantly down" on what it expected at typically the busiest time of the year for the hospitality sector.

On working from home, Mr Emeny said: "I would urge the prime minister to review that this week, as it does appear that London is coming through this Omicron crisis."

Mathew Fell, chief policy director at the CBI employers' group, said: "This is clearly set to be one of the issues facing businesses at the start of this New Year. We were hearing just before the Christmas break retailers telling us that Covid-related absences were up about 50% in a week."

He said it was important the government resolves supply problems with Covid testing kits: "Testing is really key for confidence and making sure we have that as ingrained behaviour."

Covid absence could not come at a worse time for firms, he said, because they were already suffering skills and labour shortages.

However, Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, told the BBC some firms were flouting Covid health and safety rules, and it was time for the government to get tough with these employers.

She added: "The government still hasn't fixed sick pay to ensure that we don't spread the virus. Those staff who are sick should taking proper time off sick, but [sick pay] is only £96 a week."

Despite the high number of absences, Mr Josephs said some staff were still ignoring positive tests because they could not afford time off.

He said: "We know that in our sector a lot of staff do not get paid sick pay. Ours do - but staff who are on limited contracts or on minimum wage cannot afford to be off work."

Ministers have been tasked with developing "robust contingency plans" for workplace absences, as the government warned rising cases could see up to a quarter of staff off work.

Public sector leaders have been asked to prepare for "worst case scenarios" of 10%, 20% and 25% absence rates, the Cabinet Office said.

The UK has seen record numbers of daily cases over the festive period. Transport, the NHS and schools have already seen the effect of absences.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×