Britain will trial a six-month visa system to let in non-EU seasonal workers to pick crops, as Brexit leaves farmers facing a labour shortage.
The two-year pilot programme will allow 2,500 workers from outside the European Union into Britain each year to help fruit and vegetable growers, amid dwindling arrivals from eastern bloc members, the government announced on Thursday.
The scheme, starting in spring 2019 and permitting them to stay for up to six months, is intended to alleviate "labour shortages during peak production periods", according to the Home Office.
"This pilot will ensure farmers have access to the seasonal labour they need to remain productive and profitable during busy times of the year," said Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove added the government had "listened to the powerful arguments from farmers about the need for seasonal labour".
"We will review the pilot's results as we look at how best to support the longer-term needs of industry outside the EU," he said.
Britain's booming horticultural industries, which contributed £2 billion (Dh9.49bn) to its economy in 2016, has already been buffeted by the country's impending departure from the EU next March.
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Farmers have reported sharp drops in the numbers of seasonal workers arriving from countries like Romania and Bulgaria, which supply the vast majority of fruit and vegetable pickers in Britain.
Improvements in labour markets in Eastern Europe and the fall in the value of the UK currency have has also exacerbated the problem.
Although the sector estimates it needs more than 80,000 people to meet its needs each year, Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), hailed the pilot scheme "a major victory".
But Nick Marston, of industry body British Summer Fruits, was sceptical it would be anywhere near sufficient.
"Our farms are reporting staff shortages of 10 to 20 per cent already," he said, adding they need quadruple the 2,500 workers permitted in the trial.
"This number will have little effect on the current shortages UK farms are facing as we speak."
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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