Yodel Cardiff parcel delivery operation

Bosses find new ways of turning the screw

At Yodel Cardiff parcel delivery operation, workers are finding it impossible to earn a living.

The Socialist reported, back in July, on the difficulties faced by delivery drivers at the Nantgarw depot on the edge of Cardiff.

A system of fines for not turning up has effectively ended holidays. Drivers face being fined for making deliveries early for some customers and fined for being late for others.

Yodel is part of the Barclay Brothers Empire. They fooled some drivers into thinking they could become little entrepreneurs. “Become a ‘Service Partner,'” they said “and have your own little posse of drivers earning for you.”

Some went for it, overseeing four-to-six drivers and hoping to cream enough off their earnings to enable them to get out of the madcap dash themselves.

Ryan, one of the drivers, watched as one Service Partner’s gang broke up under the pressure. He said: “This guy trained up a lad to do a round but he found it really hard.

“He started at 6am and didn’t finish until 9.30pm. The next day he finished at 8.30pm and on the third day he had a friend to help him and that went a bit better.

“But on the Saturday his friend did it on his own. He finished at God knows what time and he quit on the spot. The other lad came in on the Monday, realised how much money he was making and just left.

“The Service Partner came in, found all these parcels on the floor and copped for a fine.”

Ryan feels sympathy for the Service Partners, as they’re being manipulated by the firm. He said: “They’re mostly genuine guys.

“They go out on the round themselves, they just get paid a little more if their drivers do it as well.”