150 DHL staff ordered to pay back hundreds after company wages error

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... y-11976308" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Around 150 workers at a Merseyside warehouse face losing up to £150 a month after they were overpaid, it was today claimed.

Employees at Ellesmere Port’s DHL site say they were put on a higher rate of pay for 22 months before the error was discovered.

In a double-hit to their workforce, DHL has ordered the workers to repay the cash – and cut their pay back to the level they should have received.

The logistics company, which sends packages across the world, says as a gesture of goodwill they have offered the workman to pay half of the money received back to the company.

But it has left many facing hardship – with one describing it as a “horrible situation” – with some even facing cuts in their tax credits.

Workers at the site, which delivers parts for Jaguar Land Rover , spoke to the ECHO on condition of anonymity and said the error came to light during recent pay negotiations.


One said: “We were suddenly told there will be no back pay and no bonus. Our pay rise turned into a pay cut. Some people were told they were overpaid more than £2,000, although everyone is different – and the company want it repaid within 17 months.

“It’s pushing some people over the edge.

“There is talk of industrial action – the lads can’t afford to do it.”

His colleague added that the company had halved the amount the workers had to repay – but they still face massive cuts in monthly pay cheques.

He said: “They want me to repay £73 a month but they have also given us a pay cut to what we should have originally been on, so it works out to a £75 pay cut – that’s almost £150 a month for me.”

He was also affected by tax credits being cut when he was placed on the higher rate.