[UK] Staff angered by DHL demand for furlough overpayments to be returned

Following an HR mistake that led to furlough money being overpaid disgruntled workers have claimed that DHL will claim back 10 per cent of workers' wages every month from November, Birmingham Mail reports.

The supply chain leader used "flexible furlough" during the pandemic so its businesses were able to bring back furloughed employees on a part-time basis while the UK Government continued to pay some of their wages.

However, the firm admitted that some employees had been overpaid during the pandemic and confirmed it was in talks with workers about recouping the extra money.

One current DHL employee, who asked to remain anonymous, reportedly contacted BirminghamLive after receiving a letter informing him he would have to pay back the money he was given while on furlough.

The worker, who is employed at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant in Solihull, claimed he had been told he would have 10 per cent of his wages docked from this November to September 2022.

He said, "This is adding insult to injury. It is a DHL HR cock-up. They are taking money out of our wages."

The employee, who has been at the company for more than seven years, said he would be having a one to one meeting with an HR representative. He preferred to remain anonymous but said he lived in Birmingham and has a child. He claimed he was now worried about his bills.

"I have a car on finance," the Jaguar Land Rover worker explained. "Taking that money out is going to have a knock-on effect. It's going to make people have a bad credit rating.

"They are telling us how much we owe. It's not just Solihull and it's through no fault of our own.

"People are stressed out because they are throwing this into the mix."

A letter received by DHL employees - and seen by BirminghamLive - read, "For many of our colleagues, there are a number of outstanding pay corrections to be made for which we apologise.

"Flexible furlough has proved especially challenging as it requires complex calculations for each person, each pay run.

"Many of our colleagues require payroll adjustments to cover the period from July 2020 to September 2021, and we are writing to you as one of the colleagues impacted in this way."

The letter from People Services explained how much a given worker had been overpaid and gave a breakdown of how the overpayment debt would be repaid.

The Unite union said drivers and warehouse operatives had been "plagued" by incorrect pay slips due to the company’s use of flexible furlough, with some owing up to £800 in arrears.

This week, The Unite union warned that the impact of any industrial action at JLR sites at Castle Bromwich, Halewood, Hams Hall, Midpoint Tyrefort and Solihull would be "serious and immediate".

A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain said, "Due to the complexities of the flexible furlough scheme, we are aware that a number of our colleagues have been affected by both overpayments and underpayments.

"We have worked with our trade union partners to create a process to remedy this, which will include one-to-one discussions and, for overpayments, a maximum recovery amount per pay period to minimise the impact on those affected."

Following an HR mistake that led to furlough money being overpaid disgruntled workers have claimed that DHL will claim back 10 per cent of workers' wages every month from November, Birmingham Mail reports.

The supply chain leader used "flexible furlough" during the pandemic so its businesses were able to bring back furloughed employees on a part-time basis while the UK Government continued to pay some of their wages.

However, the firm admitted that some employees had been overpaid during the pandemic and confirmed it was in talks with workers about recouping the extra money.

One current DHL employee, who asked to remain anonymous, reportedly contacted BirminghamLive after receiving a letter informing him he would have to pay back the money he was given while on furlough.

The worker, who is employed at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant in Solihull, claimed he had been told he would have 10 per cent of his wages docked from this November to September 2022.

He said, "This is adding insult to injury. It is a DHL HR cock-up. They are taking money out of our wages."

The employee, who has been at the company for more than seven years, said he would be having a one to one meeting with an HR representative. He preferred to remain anonymous but said he lived in Birmingham and has a child. He claimed he was now worried about his bills.

"I have a car on finance," the Jaguar Land Rover worker explained. "Taking that money out is going to have a knock-on effect. It's going to make people have a bad credit rating.

"They are telling us how much we owe. It's not just Solihull and it's through no fault of our own.

"People are stressed out because they are throwing this into the mix."

A letter received by DHL employees - and seen by BirminghamLive - read, "For many of our colleagues, there are a number of outstanding pay corrections to be made for which we apologise.

"Flexible furlough has proved especially challenging as it requires complex calculations for each person, each pay run.

"Many of our colleagues require payroll adjustments to cover the period from July 2020 to September 2021, and we are writing to you as one of the colleagues impacted in this way."

The letter from People Services explained how much a given worker had been overpaid and gave a breakdown of how the overpayment debt would be repaid.

The Unite union said drivers and warehouse operatives had been "plagued" by incorrect pay slips due to the company’s use of flexible furlough, with some owing up to £800 in arrears.

This week, The Unite union warned that the impact of any industrial action at JLR sites at Castle Bromwich, Halewood, Hams Hall, Midpoint Tyrefort and Solihull would be "serious and immediate".

A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain said, "Due to the complexities of the flexible furlough scheme, we are aware that a number of our colleagues have been affected by both overpayments and underpayments.

"We have worked with our trade union partners to create a process to remedy this, which will include one-to-one discussions and, for overpayments, a maximum recovery amount per pay period to minimise the impact on those affected."