Internal documents suggest thousands of temporary workers at UK courier company DPD may have missed out on sick pay and pension contributions, according to the Guardian, pointing to possible breaches of employment law by recruitment agencies.
Low-paid temporary workers at one of the UK’s leading courier companies may have missed out on entitlements to sick pay and pension contributions, according to internal documents reported by the Guardian.
The documents suggest that payments normally owed to workers were absent from internal spreadsheets used to calculate the cost of employing thousands of transient staff at DPD, the Guardian reported.
These payments are typically bundled into what is known as the “charge rate” — the fee that large brands pay to recruitment companies in exchange for being supplied with temporary workers. That rate is generally intended to cover entitlements such as sick pay and pension contributions.
The fact that these payments appear to be missing from the internal records suggests that employment laws may have been breached by the recruitment companies used by DPD, according to the Guardian.
DPD is described by the Guardian as one of the UK’s top courier businesses, and the workers affected are said to number in the thousands, underscoring the potential scale of any shortfall.
The reporting is based on internal documentation. The Guardian’s account focuses on the discrepancies visible in the spreadsheets used to calculate staffing costs for temporary workers.
Why it matters
Sick pay and pension contributions are legal entitlements that provide a financial safety net for workers, and low-paid temporary staff are among the most vulnerable to shortfalls. If entitlements were missed on a large scale, it raises questions about oversight of recruitment agencies supplying major brands and the protections available to gig and temporary workers.
Frequently asked questions
Which company is involved?
The reporting concerns DPD, described by the Guardian as one of the UK's top courier businesses, and the temporary workers supplied to it by recruitment agencies.
What entitlements were reportedly missed?
According to the Guardian, internal documents suggest workers missed out on sick pay and pension contributions, which are typically included in the charge rate paid to recruitment companies.
Who may have breached employment law?
The Guardian reports the missing payments suggest employment laws may have been breached by the recruitment agencies used by DPD, based on internal documents.