UPS parcel strike set to disrupt Christmas deliveries

The 140 workers, members of Unite, the country’s largest union, at UPS’ Camden depot will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday 7 December and Friday 9 December; both actions starting at 00.01. The workers voted by 85 per cent in favour of strike action. 

The union said that there was a feeling of déjà vu about this dispute similar to the one that dogged the depot – the biggest UPS depot in Europe – in late 2013. 

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “This dispute centres on harassment, bullying and racism. 

“The drivers are forced to work overtime so that they can finish their deliveries. If they refuse or fail to finish deliveries, they are disciplined. 

“This leads to drivers working well beyond their typical 17.00 finish time and the drivers feel forced to rush and perhaps drive faster than they should. 

“There is a harsh disciplinary process when drivers have accidents, but, ironically, accidents are more likely to happen because of the continual pressure placed on them. 

“The management plays fast-and-loose with the English language as it claims that accidents are seen as avoidable i.e. deliberate – when the meaning of the word ‘accident’ is ‘an undesirable, incidental and unplanned event’. No one has an accident on purpose. 

“Those who load the vans in the warehouse complain of racism and bullying, unfair treatment and a failure to see workers as human beings. 

“There is a palpable sense of déjà vu about this dispute, as three years ago we had a dispute with UPS at this depot on almost the same issues.  

“The local UPS management don’t seem to have learned the lessons of history and we are again faced with a dispute that could severely disrupt UPS deliveries to its customers in the run-up to Christmas.”

UPS said in a statement: “Operational contingency plans have been put in place in order to ensure that any disruption to our service will be minimal, should the action occur.  

“Discussions with UNITE are currently on-going, and we remain hopeful that a mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. 

“People are our greatest resource, and UPS works closely with labour unions around the world. It is UPS’s policy to comply with all laws governing employment and labour practices worldwide, and UPS is careful to take into account the point-of-view of unions along with the interests of our customers, our employees, our shareholders and our company as a whole.”