Providing extra labour for machinery ring members

Andrew Whittam manages the Ridings Machinery Ring based at Shipton, North Yorkshire, and has used the services of 4Xtrahands to provide labour for several of the ring’s members.

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Andrew Whittam, who heads up the Ridings Machinery Ring. “There is no doubt there is a shortage of experienced, qualified labour and, while in the past positions could be filled locally, members are now having to look further afield.”

“There is no doubt there is a shortage of experienced, qualified labour and, while in the past positions could be filled locally, members are now having to look further a field,” he says.

He says the demand tends to be for longer term employment – periods of less than a month can usually be filled by labour within the ring – but with the cereal and the often extended potato harvest, extra staff needs to be available for several months.

“We’ve had staff from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as well as from Ireland and the UK,” he says.

“I think our members have been well served and are perhaps more at ease knowing that there is a pool of labour they can draw on – providing they plan ahead.”

Apparently it is not just harvest jobs that Mr Whittam has used 4Xtrahands to find – there have been jobs for soil sampling, holiday home maintenance and forestry work.

“The industry has needed to become increasingly diverse in its operations,” he says. “And this reflects in the type of staff now required.”