BEIS and Work & Pensions Committee Chairs write to Amazon on driver hours and National Living Wage

Frank Field MP, Chair of the Work & Pensions Committee, and Rachel Reeves MP, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, have written to Douglas Gurr, Managing Director, Amazon UK [see attachment] regarding concerns over couriers’ driving hours and reports that couriers are receiving below the National Living Wage once their routine expenses are deducted.

The Committee Chairs have asked Amazon to investigate these issues and to take action to ensure couriers contracted to deliver on behalf of Amazon are working safely and receiving fair pay.

The BEIS and Work & Pensions Committee recently published a joint report, A Framework for Modern Employment, which set out proposals to ensure that the benefits of a flexible workforce are enjoyed both by businesses and by workers. The report, supported by evidence from the Taylor Review and Sir David Metcalf, the Government's Director of Labour Market Enforcement, recommended a greater focus on scrutinising supply chains and the Committee heard compelling evidence on the role of large companies in ensuring compliance across their supply chains.