DHL workers ‘owed up to £800 in furlough cash’
DHL are the biggest logistics company in the world yet they cannot get people’s pay right. The whole thing is a debacle Matt Draper, Unite
DHL workers at Jaguar Land Rover plants could be owed as much as £800 after they were underpaid furlough cash, according to the Unite union.
Unite, which is leading efforts to organise potential strike action at plants in Birmingham and Solihull, claimed hundreds of employees had been “plagued” by DHL’s use of flexible furlough – with some owed hundreds in arrears.
It comes after news the supply chain giant will claim back 10 per cent of workers’ wages every month from November after a similar HR blunder also saw furlough money overpaid.
Flexible furlough meant businesses were able to bring back furloughed employees on a part-time basis during the pandemic but still have the
Government pay some of their wages.
But DHL admitted the system was “complicated” – with some staff members affected by overpayments and underpayments.
In August, Unite first announced
DHL workers at Jaguar Land Rover plants were preparing for a strike ballot in a dispute over wage arrears of up to £800 due to furlough and an “insulting” pay offer.
Unite national officer Matt Draper (pictured) said: “If our members had performed their duties in the same manner as DHL has handled the issue of flexible furlough pay, they would have been sacked.
“DHL are the biggest logistics company in the world, yet they cannot get people’s pay right.
“The whole thing is a debacle and the workforce is rapidly losing patience that the pay issues have still not been sorted out.
“Adding insult to injury, DHL has come back with a completely insulting pay offer for its hard working and loyal Solihull staff.
A letter received by DHL employees said: “For many of our colleagues, there are a number of outstanding pay corrections to be made for which we apologise.
“Flexible furlough has proved especially challenging as it requires complex calculations for each person.”
A DHL Supply Chain spokesman said: “Due to the complexities of the flexible furlough scheme, we are aware that a number of our colleagues have been affected by both overpayments and underpayments.
“We have worked with our trade union partners to create a process to remedy this.”