GMB has said the delivery company is closing delivery units to consolodate them in a ‘super site’
Evri has rejected claims that it is closing its delivery units in Northern Ireland to replace them with a “super site” amid concerns of Christmas delivery chaos.
The union GMB has said that the delivery provider has stopped using its delivery units across Northern Ireland and started to run deliveries through a “super site”, which has resulted in “mounting operational chaos, increased pressure on staff, and serious risks to their wellbeing.”
It has said that “instead of running local hubs strategically side-by-side with the new facility, management pushed ahead with consolidation before the super site was ready or fit for purpose”.
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Workers have also told the union of blocked or inaccessible toilet facilities, raising fears of contamination and unacceptable breaches of basic hygiene standards.
Geraldine Hughes, GMB Organiser, said: “Workers are paying the price for a strategy that was rushed, ill-planned and unsafe.
“Closing community hubs before the super-site was ready has caused Christmas chaos, created serious health and safety risks and shown complete disregard for the people who keep this operation running.
“GMB will not stand by while our members’ wellbeing is treated as an afterthought.
” Evri must meet us urgently, fix these unsafe conditions and start respecting the workforce.”
An Evri spokesperson said: “Our people are at the heart of our business and a crucial part of our operation which is currently delivering around four million parcels a day. We have invested £1.3 million and continue to invest in our sites across Northern Ireland to increase capacity and create more jobs for local people.
“Reports from the GMB that we have consolidated sites in Northern Ireland are not accurate. We have increased the number of operational sites across Northern Ireland from 15 to 17 larger sites, to ensure the people of Northern Ireland get the best possible service.
“We are in an active dialogue with national representatives within the GMB about this site. This has included updates relating to a plumbing failure out of our control, which occurred in some of the infrastructure around the site. This was handled swiftly and repaired within a weekend and whilst it was not in our control, we are very sorry for any disruption that it caused to workers on site.”
“This video shows waste cardboard and pallets from our operational site move, which has now been completely cleared away with a new waste management process in place.”
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