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Dozens of DHL Automotive warehouse workers who have a company contract with Jaguar Land Rover have been “informed that their license payment will end this month.”
It is understood that employees must hand over their passes, keys and uniforms without a return date to work.
Staff said up to 60 workers, founded at Hams Hall Distribution Park in Coleshill, Birmingham, won the devastating news email last week in “unprecedented cases that have led to dubious and troubling times.”
DHL staff were reportedly informed of the overwhelming termination of the license through job provider Rapier Employment in Abingdon, Oxon, which is the company through which staff received transitional work.
The most recent setback comes after the Unite union revealed that 2,200 DHL Supply Chain employees, used through the automotive giant in places like Solihull and Castle Bromwich, were in danger of wasting their jobs. The Unite union said it was “a big blow to a committed workforce.”
A DHL employee, who asked to be identified, told BirminghamLive: “It’s devastating and hard to accept. It doesn’t seem smart at all when it comes to passback and uniform.”
Rapier is understood to have told staff that they would avoid operating the licensing program on July 31, with the last payment made the following week. He said they were looking to “facilitate as many paint assignments for our flexible pictorial force as imaginable over the next few weeks.”
But they admitted that there is no company date that DHL can give them when they return to work and that it is DHL who would have tried to set up the return of the company’s assets.
But Rapier told staff that DHL had to pay for the time off while they were on leave. However, he begged staff to bring any kit to Rapier’s workplace before the last payment or to contact their manager or team leader.
Rapier is understood to have told staff: “Since the advent of the coronavirus task retention program (‘Permission’), Rapier has paid himself and a significant number of our flexible transitority staff through the program where paint assignments ended due to a problem. an effect on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rapier, like many other companies, has been particularly affected by the effect of the coronavirus outbreak. We continue to monitor and review the various industries our flexible workforce works in to perceive the operational desires and intentions of end customers, now and in the coming weeks.
“We also thoroughly reviewed the long-term adjustments to the CJRS licensing program and had to take the resolution to avoid program administration as of July 31, 2020.”
BirminghamLive contacted Rapier and DHL for comment.
DHL has stated in the past that it wants to restructure its line and cargo operations that support Jaguar Land Rover’s contract due to the “unprecedented effect of the coronavirus pandemic”.
“This is in line with long-term volume forecasts and is a component of optimization and power projects that have been carried out through any of the organizations in recent months,” said a DHL spokeswoman.
“Lately we are consulting with our workers and their representatives and will do everything we can to redistribute as many colleagues as imaginable to our other operations at the national level.
JLR stated that DHL had informed them that they would consult with some of their last months.
“As a component of its ongoing transformation program and in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jaguar Land Rover is taking steps to optimize functionality and achieve new operational efficiencies that enable sustainable expansion and long-term good fortune of our business.” added a spokeswoman.