I work for hermes as a delivery driver, and have for the last 6 years. I am classed as self employed for reasons that elude me, along with the other 10000ish couriers nationwide. The only way we can get any time off is by supplying a replacement person to do our work if we're away. This is ridiculously hard since you have to find someone with a large enough vehicle, with appropriate insurance who only wants very sporadic work, so mostly people get very very little time off. You also usually have to work when ill, although if someone is really very ill we will try to help each other out. Hermes won't help at all and just threaten to withdraw our work.
The one time that we've always had off is bank holidays. Suddenly though, with 4 weeks to go till easter they've sent out a round robin message on our terminals cancelling the bank holidays and saying everyone must work. Of course, some people have already arranged to be on holiday over easter and have got a cover person to do the rest of the week, but not the bank holidays since it wasn't thought necessary. Many of us have no hope of finding childcare even if we are here on a bank holiday. I personally cannot get a response from my 'manager' but many people are being told if they don't work the bank holidays then they have no job to come back to on the Tuesday.
i think this is outrageous and really don't want to work, but technically this time isn't too huge a problem for me. I don't have any plans, and could go in, but I really want to make a stand and support those who are hugely affected. If enough of us refuse I'm guessing they won't pull this stunt again, or at least outline new terms with plenty of notice? But is that crazy to risk my job for others, when actually I am available. I do have a holiday booked in May half term, so its going to become an issue then, there's no way i'm coming back from Wales for one day.
But at the same time if they set a precedent then that will be it! I really don't want to lose boxing day, I already work 70+ hours per week during December, and the last couple of years we had to do sundays too. I am utterly exhausted by christmas day having been out of the house from 8am to 8pm 7 days per week, is it really too much to ask for 2 days off before we start with crazy hours again for the sale stuff, it doesn't calm down till well into January?
So do I refuse the easter bank and risk my job, or just suck it up as usual?
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23 replies
SEmyarse · 10/03/2015 21:19
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