Campaign against eCourier

We followed procedure by contacting eCourier in writing, laying out our demands in clear bullet point. Having followed our campaign against CitySprint closely, eCourier did not leave our letter unheeded, as CitySprint had. We were contacted by Ian Oliver, CEO of eCourier, shortly afterwards, with an invitation to meet for preliminary negotiations in order to avert campaign measures. The Chair and Secretary of the branch were accompanied by the General Secretary of the IWGB to two negotiation meetings with eCourier bosses, who attempted to convince us their couriers were already earning well above a living wage average by flouting data from their system – however it was obvious these figures were inaccurate as the bosses insisted couriers took at least 1 hour rest break each day, shortening the effective workday and thus boosting hourly earnings. This proposal was laughed out of the room by our members from eCourier, and following a disagreement on a few other points negotiations broke down. So the Couriers Branch launched a high profile living wage campaign against eCourier that attracted dense media coverage highlighting the company’s exploitative practices, disrupting their business and tarnishing their name on social media. A large and disruptive protest was planned for one month’s time, but only two weeks into our build up to the event eCourier reopened negotiations with the IWGB, resulting in a proposal that was tweaked but then accepted by the Couriers Branch membership effecting a 28% payrise for eCourier pushbike riders, plus no more uniform fees, the axing of a highly unpopular bonus scheme in favour of higher weekly bonus caps, and a 10p per mile compensation for vehicle maintenance costs. Another major courier firm in the bag!