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DRIVERS who deliver packages for Royal Mail subsidiary Parcelforce are suing the company on grounds they have been misclassified in their employment status and wrongly denied workers’ rights.
The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said that thousands of Parcelforce drivers may be eligible to join the claim which, if successful, could force Royal Mail to pay out millions in compensation.
Until now, many of Parcelforce’s drivers have been labelled as self-employed “owner drivers,” meaning they do not have entitlements such as the right to the national living wage or holiday pay.
Leigh Day, the law firm representing the drivers, believes they should be classified as workers, which would entitle them to more rights henceforth and compensation for shortfalls in their pay up to now.
The claim against Royal Mail comes after a landmark legal battle that Leigh Day and the IWGB fought against cabbie firm Uber.
The dispute, which went to the Supreme Court in 2021, saw Uber drivers win classification as workers rather than self-employed contractors.
This ruling set the groundwork for similar worker status disputes in the gig economy, giving Parcelforce drivers hope for a victory in their own case.
Marc Francis, a former owner driver for Parcelforce, said: “Working without any rights or protections felt like walking a tightrope with no safety net to catch me if I fell.
“I didn’t get sick pay when I needed time off due to bowel disease and, in fact, Royal Mail deducted an additional £794 from my wages to cover the absence of two weeks.
“I think it’s disgusting how they treated me, but I know I’m not the only one.
“I’m committed to seeing justice for myself and all the other drivers affected by this issue at Parcelforce.”
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