Evri's Northern Ireland super-site plan 'will plunge Christmas deliveries into chaos'

Evri's plan to close delivery hubs across Northern Ireland and replace them with a 'super site' will cause Christmas chaos, GMB Union has said.

Instead of running local hubs strategically side-by-side with the new facility, management pushed ahead with consolidation before the super site was ready or fit for purpose.

The local hubs closed during the autumn and the result has been mounting operational chaos, increased pressure on staff, and serious risks to their wellbeing.

Workers have reported blocked or inaccessible toilet facilities, raising fears of contamination and unacceptable breaches of basic hygiene standards. 

Frustration is growing across the workforce as conditions deteriorate while Director of Delivery Conor Ormsby has continued to delay meeting with GMB to discuss the crisis.

Geraldine Hughes,  GMB Organiser, said: "Workers are paying the price for a strategy that was rushed, ill-planned and unsafe.

"Closing community hubs before the super-site was ready has caused Christmas chaos, created serious health and safety risks and shown complete disregard for the people who keep this operation running.

"GMB will not stand by while our members’ wellbeing is treated as an afterthought.

"Evri must meet us urgently, fix these unsafe conditions and start respecting the workforce.”

In response, an Evri spokesperson said: "Our people are at the heart of our business and a crucial part of our operation which is currently delivering around four million parcels a day. We have invested £1.3 million and continue to invest in our sites across Northern Ireland to increase capacity and create more jobs for local people.

“Reports from the GMB that we have consolidated sites in Northern Ireland are not accurate. We have increased the number of operational sites across Northern Ireland from 15 to 17 larger sites, to ensure the people of Northern Ireland get the best possible service.

“We are in an active dialogue with national representatives within the GMB about this site. This has included updates relating to a plumbing failure out of our control, which occurred in some of the infrastructure around the site. This was handled swiftly and repaired within a weekend and whilst it was not in our control, we are very sorry for any disruption that it caused to workers on site.”