A report by the Daily Mirror claims that some delivery drivers sub-contracted to Amazon are taking home just £2 per hour after costs are taken into account.
Sharon Graham of the Unite Trade Union called the situation “21st century Britain meets Charles Dickens.”
The GMB union have also accused Amazon of controlling its drivers’ workload and shift patterns while avoiding responsibility for other conditions (as the drivers are either self-employed or work through third parties).
The Daily Mirror say they have spoken to a number of “whistleblowers” who claim drivers have to break the speed limit to meet tough targets. It is even reported that some go to the length of leaving their seatbelts off so they can jump out of vans quicker.
One payslip for a driver employed by Amazon courier KMI Logistics reportedly showed a take home wage as low as £1.83 an hour once costs had been subtracted.
A 56-year-old driver who delivers packages for Amazon also told the paper his work was “slave labour” and that he was expected to deliver well over 200 packages a day:
It’s slave labour. I’d never had a speeding ticket before but I got three in three months. I’d deliver my first parcel at 7.30am and be lucky to have done 80 by midday. Then I’d have more than 150 left to do. Drivers sit on seatbelts as they are penalised if they miss goals. If you’ve parcels left on your van, someone will help you – but you’ll be docked £1 for each one they take. Amazon don’t seem to care about the safety of the drivers. I’ve worked offshore all over the world but never in conditions like this.
When asked about the claims, Amazon said it was “committed to ensuring people contracted by our independent delivery providers are fairly compensated and are treated with respect.”
The news comes just two weeks after Amazon was ordered to pay 61.7 million dollars to settle charges it had withheld some customer tips from Amazon Flex drivers.
Photo Credit: Jaggery / Geograph UK
