The tragic death of 53-year-old courier, Don Lane, underlines the terrible conditions workers face in the so-called “gig economy.”
Lane, from Christchurch on the south coast of England, had worked for parcel giant Dynamic Parcel Distribution (DPD) for 19 years, and suffered from diabetes. While a manageable disease, diabetes requires stringent medical supervision and regular check-ups. However, constant pressure of work and no sick pay, led to Lane missing vital hospital appointments.
Classed as self-employed, workers at companies like DPD have no employment rights like holiday or sick pay, maternity leave, redundancy pay or contractual hours. They work on zero hours contracts—at the beck and call of employers—and are paid for each delivery/job done. Time off at DPD incurs a daily fine of £150, unless a substitute driver can be found, plus loss of earnings.
DPD, an international parcel delivery company owned by the French state-owned postal service, made more than £100 million in profit out of its 5,000 UK employees in 2016. Its use of self-employed workers and punitive fines is emulated by other courier companies like ParcelForce—which imposes a £250 fine for a day’s absence—and Hermes.
— source wsws.org