The general secretary of the GMB union, Gary Smith, has called for stricter regulations requiring employers to demonstrate investment in training British workers before sponsoring overseas labor. Smith criticized current practices, saying businesses and government officials rely excessively on foreign recruitment to fill skills shortages, including well-paid roles such as those involved in constructing and refurbishing Royal Navy ships.

Smith highlighted the influx of agency workers from countries like the Philippines, South Africa, and Turkey as evidence of insufficient domestic training programs. “We are bringing in loads of agency labour […] because we haven’t trained welders in place,” he said. “Why have we failed to train local kids to do that work, or local adults to retrain?”

The union leader’s proposal suggests a more rigorous approach than the government’s existing plans that require certain industries accessing shortage occupation visas to develop workforce and training strategies. Earlier, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged that ministers have been too quick to rely on immigration to resolve skills gaps, urging greater focus on domestic workforce development.

Smith emphasized that his position is not against immigration in general but opposes employers using the availability of foreign labor to avoid investing in better wages and training for UK workers. The Home Office has been approached for a response to these remarks.