DHL drivers and warehouse operatives at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plants in Birmingham, Solihull and Liverpool have given the thumbs up for industrial action following a long-running row over incorrect furlough payments and the lack of a pay rise since 2018.
More than 2,000 DHL members at JLR's plants in the West Midlands and Merseyside who were balloted for action have given "strong backing" for industrial action, including the option to strike, Unite revealed today (15 November).
However, the union added that talks will continue. Unite national officer for road transport and logistics Matt Draper said: “We are holding further talks under the auspices of the conciliation service ACAS on Wednesday (17 November) with DHL management over the pay issues relating to the DHL logistics workforce, who sort and deliver components at JLR sites across the UK.
“We have received strong backing from our members to take strike action in the ballots which closed last week and this should be a serious wake-up call for the DHL management to come to the Acas meeting with a meaningful pay offer, otherwise strike action remains very much on the cards.
“Our members have had no pay rise since 2018 and are rightly furious, given the current rate of RPI inflation is running at 4.9%. Unite won’t be commenting further until the conclusion of Wednesday’s talks.”
As well as a row over pay, with Unite claiming workers have not had a pay rise since 2018, DHL's use of "flexible furlough" is also a subject of dispute.
The union has claimed some staff are owed as much as £800 in arrears after complicated calculations meant some employees were underpaid.
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The dispute has been exacerbated by DHL announcing earlier this year it would make Jaguar Land Rover workers hand back furlough cash after 'overpayment'.
A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain said: “Regrettably, we are aware that a number of our colleagues in the Midlands and Merseyside have received incorrect pay.
"We are working hard to resolve this complex issue and have asked colleagues for their understanding at this time.
"We are in continual dialogue with Unite representatives regarding the resolution process and held a productive session today with some of the representatives to discuss this in detail at one of the affected sites.
"On the issue of pay, we have met with Unite on a number of occasions over the past few months and will be meeting again in the next few days to continue our discussions. We are hopeful of bringing matters to a conclusion that is satisfactory to both parties.
"We are disappointed that Unite is balloting its members on industrial action whilst we are actively trying to resolve all outstanding issues, and have not yet concluded the pay negotiations process.
"We would therefore ask Unite to reconsider its decision and look forward to positive discussions at the earliest opportunity.”
