Things are about to get a lot worse with this company. Huge amounts of the decent couriers have left this year because of our treatment.
I will explain possibly the biggest examples of what is pissing people off.
We have always been treated very badly, and for many years had no rights at all. We had to service our rounds with no break at all. 6 days per week with no holidays, or sick capacity, ie one single occasion of illness or vehicle breakdown loses you your job. They could get away with this by calling us self employed, but entirely treated us as their employees. Twice I went to work with a sick bucket on my passenger seat.
So approx 7 year ago, 194 couriers took them to tribunal and won. We were found not to be truly self employed, but were classified as limb b workers under instruction, and awarded basic rights. The company then 'announced' a new status for their remaining staff of 'self employed plus', which of course is a nonsense and means nothing really, but things did improve to a fairly large extent. We were awarded 28 days hols, protection from loss of work over sickness and emergencies, and (eventually due to an individual courier) pension. The couriers that weren't in the original tribunal had to take a pay cut of 11-13 percent to pay for this, but it was still definitely better.
A voluntary agreement was also struck with the GMB union to represent us. This has been a double edged sword, it has given individuals greater recourse, but over time it has become apparent that they have no power (or will?) to represent us collectively, and everything is being eroded.
Jump forward to earlier this year, when last years pay claim was finalised. We have only ONCE, in the whole 23 years I've worked here had a percentage increase, and this years we were back to a small lump sum. The company's initial offer was for a MINUS amount, but the union negotiated them UP to a zero increase if we agreed to new terms and conditions ie. if we don't agree to new terms, then we would be getting pay cuts. In a completely opaque ballot, the terms were agreed.
The specifics were such that I was promised there would be no cut to my standard rate, my packet rate, my postable rate, my hanging garment rate, or my heavy rate. THE VERY NEXT DAY, we got a communication saying that due to competitivity factors they were introducing a new product called a small packet. This was to be entirely new business. Of course it's not, everything that is under 45cm/35cm/16cm, and under 2.2kg is now classed as a small packet and paid at a lower rate. This is all the exact same stuff as before and covers a huge amount of what we have always delivered, so a truly enormous pay cut.
Not only that but they aren't even keeping to their own dimensions, well over 3 quarters of all parcel traffic is now classified as small packet regardless of dimensions. We can upgrade these parcels while on the road by weighing and measuring them all, but this is extremely time consuming, and they often don't accept the evidence anyway. Photographic evidence is not accepted. The amounts of money being lost are eye watering, I know of some people who have lost 6-7k this year through this.
The reasons I haven't left are complex, but having left just before the tribunal and failed to find green grass, I came back after things improved. This time I've decided to stay and try to fight for general regulation within the industry, I won't go into what this entails.
But I'm sure you can see why so many couriers have left. And because the pay rates are so poor in a lot of areas, it must be obvious that the replacements cannot be fully legit. I can only afford hire and reward insurance by working at least 50 hours a week, there is absolutely no way that all the people who come in to do a few shifts for xmas money are properly insured. And if no-one is checking that, what else aren't they checking??
Then there are the intolerable depot conditions. When there was an exposure of Hermes a couple of years ago, they stated that any loading outside in the elements was a temporary measure. I've been loading outside for 23 years. It doesn't overly bother me, but it does trash the parcels.
The delivery units (the little ones that serve local couriers), are usually tiny, and evri don't pay the people that run them the agreed amount. They send the lorries hours later than agreed and then rely on couriers to do the sorting of parcels for free. Most people don't get on the road before about 12 at this time of year, and I've heard of some as late as 3pm. Fitting in 50 hours of work after this point in daylight is....problematic.
I'll stop now, I've barely touched the sides, but if there aren't major problems soon I'll eat my hat.