UK Business Minister forwards questions over Hermes drivers’ payment arrangements to HMRC

The UK Business Minister Margot James has passed on concerns about Hermes’ policy on paying its delivery van drivers to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). As previously reported by Post&Parcel, Labour MP Frank Field, who is the chairman of the House of Commons work and pensions select committee, has compiled a report which alleges that some drivers working for Hermes (and who are classified as “self-employed”) are “paid an hourly rate that is much lower than the National Living Wage”.

Hermes has said that the report is not a true reflection of the way the company operates – and added that it would “co-operate fully with any investigation”.

According to reports, the business minister informed Field that the government did not plan to launch its own investigation into Hermes’s working practices. However, she reportedly added:  “We will continue to monitor the situation and I will pass your letter to HMRC, who can consider the relative merits of proactive investigation, even in the absence of a complaint, alongside other investigative priorities.”