UNITE The Union has advised workers at parcel and courier company UPS to refuse to accept cash on delivery (CoD) in order to protect their safety.
Unite gave the instruction to its members after UPS failed to respond to longstanding concerns that drivers were being placed at risk when they are required to demand CoD when delivering goods to customers.
The requirement for CoD has dramatically increased since the New Year as, due to the UK having left the European Union, many deliveries now attract duties and levies and the UPS drivers are expected to collect these.
In Tamworth, West Midlands, a UPS driver was assaulted when delivering a guitar, after informing the customer there were additional charges to pay.
Unite is further concerned that criminal elements are becoming aware UPS drivers are being forced to carry cash around and this could make them targets for robberies.
The current procedures in place for recording CoD payments are also inadequate and could result in customers claiming they have made payments and drivers being wrongly accused of stealing money.
‘While many delivery organisations have gone cashless the failure of UPS to follow suit places drivers at risk of exposure to Covid-19, both through being unable to socially distance and because it is transmissible on notes and coins,’ said Unite national officer Matt Draper.
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