Is this a day suppliers and buyers hoped would never arrive?
Britain’s MPs are urging for a foreign lorry crack-down after a committee found a large number of overseas vehicles fail to meet UK road-safety standards. Research concluded almost half of overseas vehicles are un-roadworthy or in need of work.
But the big issue is do we ask foreign suppliers to ensure their vehicles meet UK standards and fork out extra costs fixing them, or do we ask UK buyers to ensure their suppliers meet our rules before signing a contract?
If we put the responsibility on the logistics supplier they may decide their UK contracts are not lucrative enough to warrant a whole lorry fleet revamp and cease trading with us completely.
Infact vehicle modifications could push up prices for UK suppliers, which may render some contracts useless in any case. You would hope the onus will not be put on buyers – why should they fork out for a re-fit that will only profit their supplier? Yes, morally it is their responsibility if their contracts bring unsafe vehicles into the country, but surely that is an ethical dilemma rather than a practical issue?
Who do you think will suffer the most in the fall-out?
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I remember a TV advert in which a retailer proclaimed that they are “beating down prices” for the benefit of the consumer. I always thought that this message went a little too far. As a consumer, the supplier whose prices were being beaten down could easily have been my next door neighbour’s employer and it didn’t sit comfortably with me that someone was doing this on my behalf.
Imagine if they, or another retailer had gone even further and revealed even more of the truth about how they were going to get prices even lower for their customers. How about an advertising campaign based on low cost country sourcing “After all, a dollar a day is a king’s ransom in the back of beyond” I’m not sure that would go down too well – even though it’s the truth. Or how about “We’re going to cut corners on health and safety. Afterall, Polish lorry drivers don’t have to comply with British standards in their own country.” Get the point?
Buyers have a moral obligation, and if the government intervenes it will be a legal obligation, to source ethically. Not to use child labour, to ensure that suppliers’ employees are treated fairly including respect for decent health and safety standards and that environmental considerations are taken into account in sourcing strategy.
Will prices go up if the government intervenes? Yes – of course they will, because well maintained vehicles cost money to maintain and we all better get used to it. “Because it’s cheaper” is no excuse for a mangled wreck on the hard shoulder of the M6.