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Why your delivery is delayed: Pictures show piles of undelivered parcels, while another 2,500 deliverers leave their work and demand higher wages
- Deliveries are impacted after some 2,500 FedEx employees start a 24-hour strike
- The union says the pressure to outsource is creating an unsafe labor crisis at FedEx
- Industrial action follows a strike of up to 2,000 StarTrack employees last week
- Australians are already struggling with longer than usual waiting times for deliveries
Thousands of workers at a major parcel delivery company have quit their jobs across Australia, putting more pressure on the country’s congested postal system.
Deliveries are impacted after around 2,500 FedEx employees started a 24-hour strike at midnight over job security.
It followed a strike of up to 2,000 StarTrack employees last week, with workers from both companies taking steps to stop outsourcing work to contractors and companies like Amazon.
Thousands of workers at a major parcel delivery company have quit their jobs across Australia, putting more pressure on the country’s tense postal system
Australians are already struggling with longer than usual waiting times for deliveries as more people shop online while stores are closed as much of the country is locked for months during the COVID-19 crisis.
Transport Workers Union National Secretary Michael Kaine says there has been a steady stream of courier services diverted to contractors in recent years.
He says the company rejected workers’ demands for job security guarantees despite record profits last year.
A recent vote by FedEx TWU members found 97 percent support for the strike.
The TWU says the industry-wide push to outsource at FedEx is leading to an unsafe labor crisis as some owner-drivers are currently paying around 25 percent less to do the same work as employees.
Packages at a FedEx distribution center in Erskine Park, Sydney, Thursday September 30th
Deliveries are impacted after around 2,500 FedEx employees started a 24-hour strike at midnight over job security (Image: Transport Workers Union protests outside FedEx Redbank in Brisbane).
The union says workers want job security, caps on outside employment, guaranteed pre-contract work for existing workers, and “equal work, equal pay†provisions for outside hires as workers.
FedEx said during negotiations with the TWU it was disappointing that this step was taken.
The delivery company said it pays higher wage rates and pensions compared to its competitors, and the current offering is just as competitive.
FedEx has agreed to reduce external hiring if possible, but said the TWU’s request to increase tariffs for these external companies would not benefit their employees and job security.
It followed a strike of up to 2,000 StarTrack employees last week in which workers from both companies took action to stop outsourcing work to contractors and companies like Amazon (Image: Transport Workers Union protests outside FedEx Redbank in Brisbane ).
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