Stressed Aramex courier drivers say strike action is on the cards – Stuff.co.nz

Aramex drivers have been watching protest action taken by their counterparts in Australia in recent weeks, and say something needs to be done about the culture on this side of the Tasman, too.

More than100 Aramex courier drivers went on a 24-hour strike in Sydney last week to protest low pay rates and a working conditions the drivers union described as modern slavery.

Transport Workers Union president Tony Matthews, told Australias Channel 7 Aramex couriers worked more than 50 hours a week and took home just a few hundred dollars after costs.

Chief executive of Pro Drive, a group that represents New Zealand drivers, Peter Gallagher says the situation here was as bad if not worse than Sydney, and he was closely observing the situation.

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We are certainly not ruling out collective action. A strike in New Zealand is definitely on the cards, Gallagher says.

Pro Drive has made multiple attempts to talk with Aramex NZ over issues of working conditions and fair pay, but the company had yet to respond, he says.

The impact of the Aramex NZ business model on worker mental health is severe, he says.

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Brian Cossey bought an Aramex Couriers franchise only to find out within months that the workload and pay were well below his expectations. The strain severely impacted his mental health.

Former Aramex driver Brian Cossey says the financial strain, and bullying work culture at Aramex led him to consider suicide.

I had been working 16-hour days, seven days a week for a laughable amount of take home pay. The stress and overwork was leading to me having near-misses on the road, and collapsing in the depot.

I begged management for help, but they did nothing, Cossey says.

Aramex NZ chief executive Scott Jenyns says he is unaware of any drivers reporting suicidal thoughts and such an incident would be treated seriously.

He says the company intends to investigate the matter immediately, and for courier franchisees to contact him directly if they wish to raise any concerns.

Aramex also has a whistleblower code of conduct which allows employees to raise issues anonymously, he says.

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Cossey is now working in construction a job he says earns him 50 per cent more money and not face mental health issues due to stress and overwork.

Aramex franchisees are classed as contractors, meaning each driver is an individual business owner, rather than employees who would have minimum wage protections.

Aramex markets the courier run as having uncapped earning potential, and drivers cover their own operating costs, and are paid per packaged delivery at a rate set by Aramex.

Cossey says his after-cost take home pay was between $12.68 and $11.72 an hour.

Jenyns says it is not accurate to speak in terms of wages becuase drivers are owner operators, not employees.

But Gallagher says to get caught up in the semantics of payment was disingenuous.

We have done the research using Aramexs own numbers and found that drivers are earning significantly less than the minimum wage after costs. I have spoken to over 40 drivers across the North Island and I am yet to find a single one earning above the minimum wage, he says.

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Aramex courier drivers sort through freight every morning before they started their run. They say they are not paid for this time, and it often adds hours to their workday.

Drivers buy their franchisee businesses from Aramex for between $15,000 to $30,000, so handing back a round often comes with significant financial loss, he says.

Cossey now works in construction.

I am making 50 per cent more money and I dont wake up every morning wanting to kill myself.

A current Aramex courier driver in Wellington says the culture of bullying and overwork has continued to grow.

Upper management used intimidation when drivers questioned the financial arrangement of the business, she says.

I dont think Aramex actually knows how much toll this takes on us. I have reached a point where I have just had enough. I get up each morning and I dont want to wake up. she says.

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Aramex NZ chief executive Scott Jenyns says the company has an employee assistance program in place for drivers in mental distress, but driver advocate group Pro Drive say this is an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

It was a regular occurrence at the Wellington depot to see drivers crying when they see their payslips, she says.

The way they treat us is just ridiculous. There is no toilet paper at the depot, no clean facilities for us to use when we get back at the end of our run. They treat us worse than animals.

Jenyns says that Aramex has an employee assistance program in place for any driver in mental distress or their family to access counselling.

But Gallagher says this was an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

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Pro Drive chief executive, Peter Gallagher says he hopes that the Sydney strike causes public, and regulatory pressure to be put on Aramex courier company.

The testimony we have seen from drivers across the North Island tells us that Aramex has a model that works people to the point of exhaustion.

The ultimate indignity is when these drivers collapse, Aramex is able to swoop in, recapture the business and resell it, Gallagher says.

Gallagher hopes the strike in Sydney will highlight the issues facing Aramex courier drivers in New Zealand, and put public and regulatory pressure on the company.

Jenyns resigned on Friday after 21 years with the company, A spokeswoman says. A departure date is yet to be announced.

WHERE TO GET HELP:

Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865

Lifeline: 0800 543 354

Depression Helpline, open 24/7: 0800 111 757.

Whakatau Mai/ The Wellbeing Sessions http://www.wellbeingsessions.nz

Healthline: 0800 611 116

Youthline: 0800 376633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz

What's Up (for 5-18 year olds; 1pm-11pm): 0800 942 8787

Kidsline (aimed at children up to age 14; 4pm-6pm weekdays): 0800 54 37 54 (0800 kidsline)

Rainbow youth (LGBTQ youth helpline): (09) 3764155

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Stressed Aramex courier drivers say strike action is on the cards - Stuff.co.nz