Courier company Hermes may face legal action from workers who believe that they have been wrongly categorised as self-employed. The Couriers Union said it had received a letter from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DELR) confirming its classification as an “employer” under the Fair Work Act. A similar case was successfully brought against Uber last year when an employment tribunal ruled that drivers should be classified as workers and were thus entitled to the national living wage, sick pay and paid leave.
Courier company Hermes may face legal action from workers who believe that they have been wrongly categorised as self-employed. The case, which has not yet being lodged at the employment tribunal, is being organised by the GMB union and is a response to an investigation by the Guardian, which found that some couriers at the company were paid less than the national living wage. A similar case was successfully brought against Uber last year when an employment tribunal ruled that drivers should be classified as workers and were thus entitled to the national living wage, sick pay and paid leave.