Highlights
- Transport workers of major delivery operators demand negotiation with their employers within a week.
- Unmet demands of workers will result in industry-wide strikes.
- The demands include job security, outsourcing, better working conditions and safe pay.
Transport workers of major delivery operators like Bevchain, Linfox, FedEx, StarTrack and Toll have threatened their employers that they will quit the job if the employers are not ready for negotiation. Some companies have agreed to the negotiation, but FedEx response is awaited by the employees.
The demands of workers are related to their job security concerns and outsourcing because of lockdown.
The industry-wide action is followed by the release of a survey response of 1,110 employees by the Transport Workers Union (TWU). The responses highlight the working conditions in which they work and still lacks work security. Lack of job security further push the drivers into taking up riskier jobs, Michael Kaine (national secretary of TWU) commented.
Also Read: Parcel delivery services face the threat of industry-wide strike
Kaine adds,
The workforce shared the concerns related to the financial viability of eth job as they stated that they are incapable of servicing their vehicles and consider selling the vehicles actively. Wage theft is a common phenomenon in transportation jobs. Moreover, they continuously face pressure to work overtime or work with unsafe vehicles.
TWU said that if these issues remain unsolved till next week, then thousands of workers will go on strike across the industry.
Bottom Line
Transport workers of major delivery operators have asked the employers for negotiation within week time or else they will be going to strike during the peak season. The demands include job security, better working conditions and safe pay. The concerns of the workers have been highlighted through surveys which were conducted by TWU.