More parcel drivers complain about “underpayment” by Australia Post contractors
More post and parcel drivers have claimed they are being “underpaid” by Australia Post contractors. As previously reported by Post&Parcel, ABC’s 7.30 television programme carried a feature earlier this month in which it interviewed a number of parcel delivery van drivers who claimed that they were being signified underpaid by the contractors. They also claimed that Australia Post was aware of their circumstances.
Today, ABC has reported that “a number of subcontractors from Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales contacted the program and claimed the practice was widespread and driven by a culture that put the bottom line first”.
However, NQ Transport Solutions, which has delivery contracts throughout Queensland, told the 7.30 journalists that it “strenuously denies any wrongdoing” with relation to the pricing or treatment of subcontractors.
Australia Post, meanwhile, has issued a statement saying it “has fair contract rates in place enabling contractors to make appropriate payments to their subcontractors” and it takes “very seriously any allegation that contractors are not meeting their legal obligations.” Indeed, Australia Post has urged anyone with any evidence or concerns about subcontractor underpayment to call a confidential hotline on 1800 799 353.
