Labour must back delivery drivers sacked by DPD, former cabinet minister says
The Labour government must back delivery workers who were sacked for speaking out about DPD’s plans to cut of thousands of pounds from their pay, a former cabinet minister has said.Louise Haigh has heavily criticised the delivery firm over its treatment of the workers – one of whom said the row had cost them their livelihoods just in time for Christmas.“This is pretty despicable behaviour from DPD management.Punishing vulnerable workers for standing up for their agreed terms and conditions should be illegal,” the former transport secretary said.She added that the “Labour government needs to make sure they are standing on the side of the powerless against such exploitative practices”.
DPD, which reported pre-tax profits of nearly £200m last year and raised the pay of its highest-paid director by £90,000 to £1.5m including bonuses, told self-employed drivers it was unilaterally cutting their delivery rates.The drivers said the move would cost them about £6,000 each per year – or up to £8,000 for those who take on extra deliveries at Christmas.Scores refused to carry out deliveries for the firm for three days in response.While DPD partially backed down after a meeting with workers’ representatives on day one, the drivers returned to work.
But it was only a temporary reprieve, with the firm vowing to go ahead with the rate-cuts in the new year.After that meeting, DPD sacked drivers for having spoken out about the way it was treating them.Labour have put improving the lot of workers – including protecting them from unfair treatment – at the heart of its plans in government.Fears were expressed about ministers’ commitment to that when prominent backers of the employment rights bill – Angela Rayner, Justin Madders and Jonathan Reynolds – left important ministerial positions.But Downing Street insisted it would push it through parliament, and it is expected to become law soon.
But, while the bill’s sweeping changes are expected to grant greater security to more than a million workers, they may not prevent firms treating their workers the way DPD has done.And Haigh has called on her party colleagues to make good on the spirit of their promises to workers by backing those fired by the delivery firm.She spoke after the Labour peer Peter Hendy said further changes to the law should be made to protect drivers such as those fired by DPD.“The protection against dismissal or detriment for trade union activities only applies to the activities of an independent trade union,” he said, adding that the drivers might not enjoy such a status.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionLord Hendy said: “Penalising workers for making representations against detrimental changes to their terms and conditions is, quite simply, outrageous.
It should be unlawful.”Dean Hawkins, who acted as a spokesperson for the DPD drivers taking action to protect their pay and was sacked for speaking out, said he was happy to have Haigh’s backing.“The government should be doing more to support workers in our position,” he said.“You’ve got to remember: it was only a few short years ago that delivery drivers were keeping the country and businesses running during the pandemic.“Any government should support our cause and make some clear rules and a lot more regulations for companies like DPD to save this happening again in future.
So many have lost our income just before Christmas,It makes me sick, given how much money the drivers generate for the company,”A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “Every company should treat the people who work for them with respect and fulfil their obligations as a responsible employer,We don’t comment on individual cases,”DPD has not responded to a request for comment.
Nigel Farage urged to root out Reform links to Russia after jailing of Nathan Gill
Nigel Farage is facing calls to investigate and root out links between Reform UK and Russia after one of his party’s former senior politicians was jailed for 10 years for accepting bribes from a pro-Kremlin agent.Keir Starmer said Farage had questions to answer about how this happened in his party. Nathan Gill, a former leader of Reform UK in Wales, admitted taking payments to make statements in favour of Russia.The sentencing came at the end of a damaging week for Farage in which the Guardian revealed accusations that he engaged in racist chants and comments while at school more than 40 years ago, which he denies.Reform UK remains about 10 points ahead in opinion polls, but Labour believes the party is vulnerable to criticism that Farage and his allies have been too pro-Russia, with the Gill case proving that a paid pro-Kremlin propagandist was allowed to rise to become a senior leader
Starmer rebuffs renewed talk of Andy Burnham leadership challenge
Keir Starmer has attempted to dampen the latest round of speculation about his leadership, insisting that one of his potential rivals, Andy Burnham, is doing a “really good job as mayor of Manchester” and warning colleagues not to waste their time briefing against each other.The prime minister gave his backing to Burnham on Thursday night as he travelled to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, after the Greater Manchester mayor repeatedly failed to rule out challenging Starmer for his party’s leadership during interviews on Thursday.Burnham’s comments reignited speculation over the prime minister’s future, with his party languishing in the polls and days away from a tax-raising budget that could define the rest of his term in office.Starmer said: “Andy’s doing a really good job as mayor in Manchester and we work very closely together.”He added: “Only two days after Labour party conference we were in Manchester together in the aftermath of the terrible attack on the synagogue there
Farage’s views on Russia likely to be further tested after jailing of Nathan Gill
The discovery of a pro-Russian asset, Nathan Gill, at the heart of a British political party reads like the plot of a John Le Carré novel.Russia was long known to have been trying to interfere in foreign politics with online bots and cyber-disinformation over the past decade.However, the Nathan Gill case is now a concrete example of a pro-Russian agent enlisting and paying a Brexit-friendly party politician to spread the propaganda of Moscow and against Ukraine in Europe.In the 1960s, it tended more to be Labour and far-left politicians who were largely the subject of Soviet attempts to plant agents in the west. In modern times, it is no surprise that the parties Gill represented were Ukip, the Brexit party, and briefly Reform UK
Starmer accuses ‘spineless’ Farage of failure to tackle racism in Reform party
Nigel Farage has been accused of being “spineless” by the prime minister and a “coward” by Dulwich college contemporaries over his response to allegations of racism.Keir Starmer said the Reform UK leader had “questions to answer” about alleged comments and chants as a teenager that include songs about the Holocaust, and accusations of bullying towards minority ethnic schoolboys.He added that Farage had a “track record” when it came to racism, pointing to his failure to discipline his fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts.Speaking to reporters on the way to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Starmer said: “He needs to explain the comments, or alleged comments that were made, and he needs to do that as soon as possible. He hasn’t got a good track record in relation to this because Sarah Pochin, his MP, made some clearly racist comments and Nigel Farage has done absolutely nothing about it
UK politics: Reeves ‘not even sure what the popular path is’ on the budget – as it happened
The UK cannot continue to “muddle through” and must take “a different path” on the economy, the chancellor has said.Ahead of her second budget on 26 November, Rachel Reeves told the Times that the country could not continue on its current trajectory. But she admitted she was “not even sure any more what the popular path is” amid calls for a wealth tax from some politicians and heavy tax and spending cuts from others.In the interview published on Friday, Reeves said:I’m not even sure any more what the popular path is.There are lots of people who say cut taxes and the economy will grow, but what spending would they cut? Borrowing is too high, but you can’t cut it overnight
Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches
Reform UK’s former leader in Wales Nathan Gill has been jailed for 10 and a half years for taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia when he was an MEP.Gill, a key member of the Ukip and Brexit party groups led by Nigel Farage in the European parliament, had pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.Police believe Gill received the equivalent of at least £30,000 and could have got even more from Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian MP and alleged Russian asset. He remains under investigation but is now believed to be in Moscow.Immediately after Gill was jailed, the defence minister Al Carns called on Farage’s party to launch a thorough investigation to guarantee that pro-Russia links were rooted out of Reform
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