Amazon drivers win legal battle which keeps 'Draconian working conditions' secret but could help 15,000 claim back pay - Mirror Online
Author: Dan Warburton
Description: Four drivers received a settlement totalling nearly £80,000 – more than their lawyers had sought – but they are sworn to silence as part of the deal
Keywords: Amazon,Unions
Date: 2018-01-20T21:05:46Z

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# Amazon drivers win legal battle which keeps 'Draconian working conditions' secret but could help 15,000 claim back pay

Four drivers received a settlement totalling nearly £80,000 – more than their lawyers had sought – but they are sworn to silence as part of the deal

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Dan Warburton

- 21:05, 20 JAN 2018

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The Amazon drivers won a victory which could help others (Image: Getty)

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Drivers delivering Amazon parcels secured a victory that could pave the way for up to 15,000 others to claim back cash, unions say.

Logistics firm UK Express reached an out-of-court settlement with four former drivers which meant details of “Draconian working conditions” were not aired in public.

UK Express was said to have “caved in” in the face of evidence that drivers were mistreated and wrongly described as self-employed – which the firm denies.

Between them the four received a settlement totalling nearly £80,000 – more than their lawyers had sought – with both parties sworn to silence.

A Sunday Mirror investigation exposed how hard Amazon workers have to work (Image: Roland Leon/Sunday Mirror)

##### Read More

- Amazon courier who was robbed of 62 packages on duty is SACKED and 'told to repay costs of stolen items'

Now the Sunday Mirror can reveal that hundreds of other drivers across Britain are contacting lawyers to launch claims of their own, a move that could see companies shelling out huge sums.

Maria Ludkin, legal director of the GMB union, said: “In the face of the evidence that UK Express were going to lose at the tribunal they decided to settle.

“They actually settled at a level that was so high our drivers had to accept.”

Ms Ludkin added that her union would now be asking UK Express “to get round the table” and thrash out a resolution or face a new wave of legal action.

She added: “In excess of 200 drivers have been in touch with us just from UK Express, and 100 from other companies.

Drivers have to make numerous deliveries on their shifts (Image: Roland Leon/Sunday Mirror)

“I think there are between 10,000 and 15,000 drivers delivering for Amazon who this affects. There has been a move to this model of delivering packages for Amazon which is a race to the bottom.”

Sunday Mirror investigators found claims of drivers at other firms having to deliver nearly 200 parcels a day, being fined for not meeting schedules and being left out of pocket by deductions.

UK Express insisted it had “always treated its contractors fairly” and disputed the union’s version of the settlement. It said: “The GMB were not a party to this case and its statements are misleading, inaccurate and do not reflect the true facts.”

Amazon said it was “not involved in the employment tribunal claim by individuals against UK Express”.

- TWO drivers who worked for a sub-contractor in Washington, US are suing Amazon claiming they were “ultimately” controlled by the internet giant.

## Union could fix fair deal for workers

BY FRANCES O'GRADY, TUC General Secretary

Amazon shifted thousands of parcels in time for Christmas (Image: SWNS.com)

Amazon is one of the most modern firms yet its working conditions are from Victorian times.

It seems to treats its staff like machines by reportedly using new technology to time their toilet breaks and monitor their every move.

Such management tactics create a climate of fear and steal the dignity of people barely on the minimum wage. They work incredibly long hours and often walk more than 10 miles in a single shift. Such conditions make staff sick with stress and exhaustion. The Sunday Mirror revealed workers are collapsing on the job because of near-impossible targets.

I’d like to see how Amazon’s billionaire boss Jeff Bezos would cope with processing 300 items an hour, for hour after relentless hour. As Amazon refuses to recognise a union its staff have no voice or power to change things.

So we’ve got a simple request. If Amazon bosses really care about creating a “positive working environment”, as they repeatedly claim in press statements, why don’t they sit down with the GMB, the union for Amazon workers, and work out a fair deal for staff?

##### Read More

- Amazon customer sent "ominous and threatening" book recommendations by call centre worker

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