The GMB union has claimed that UK Mail drivers are set to get a pay cut of £2,000 a year after the company was bought out by DHL.

In a statement posted on its website yesterday (29 January), GMB claimed that UK Mail “has told drivers based at 55 sites around the country to sign a contract, under duress, detailing a £2,000 pay cut – or their services will no be longer required”.

The GMB statement continued: “At the Runcorn depot, drivers were called in one by one into the office on Friday January 12.

“They were each asked to sign new contracts and told if they did not they would not be working for DHL/UK Mail by Monday.

“Drivers asked for time to look through the new contracts, but were told the contacts had to be signed before the end of their shift.

“The new contracts amounted to a pay cut of £2,000 per driver.”

UK Mail have however disputed the claim made by the GMB. They have argued that drivers are set to take a pay rise due to the volumes of packages they handle increasing.

In a statement, UK Mail said: “Due to a significant increase in the number of parcels UK Mail is carrying, the earnings of self-employed drivers, who are paid per delivery stop, have gone up correspondingly over the last year and that volume is forecast to increase further in 2018.

“To be able to offer customers the competitive prices they demand, we have renegotiated our parcel delivery rate with drivers. But due to the increase in volumes carried by each courier the overall amount they can earn will on average go up without having to travel further or incur additional costs.”