XPO denies accusations of unsafe and abusive employment practices

Report by an international coalition of labour groups accuses the US-based logistics giant of an unsafe COVID-19 response and global worker abuses in six countries where it has operations.

XPO Logistics has dismissed a new report by an international coalition of labour groups that accuses XPO Logistics of an unsafe COVID-19 response and global worker abuses in six countries where the transport and logistics giant has operations, including the UK.

The US transport and logistics giant has denied the accusations and said the report “repeats old, inaccurate allegations that were previously debunked”.

The so-called ‘XPO Global Union Family’ – composed of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), and including unions representing XPO workers – compiled the report  “after years of trying to work with XPO to improve its working conditions and as the pandemic raised concerns about the company’s lack of protections for workers”.

It is “based on surveys of and interviews with employees, financial disclosures from the company and news reports”.

The ITF said the report “is the first to examine the logistics company’s treatment of thousands of workers worldwide. In addition to revealing a negligent COVID-19 response and deadly outbreaks in its facilities, the report details how XPO subjects its employees to wage theft and exploitation, hazardous work environments riddled with health and safety violations, pregnancy and gender discrimination, sexual harassment and extreme anti-union tactics.”

Its general secretary Stephen Cotton commented: “Deaths. Discrimination. Wage theft. Sexual harassment. Health and safety violations. COVID-19 exposure. The list of allegations that XPO has to answer goes on and on, crossing borders to countries spanning the globe.

“XPO may be under the radar, but its far-reaching human rights abuses must be exposed. XPO’s workers are risking it all during the pandemic with little support from the executives who are profiting off the backs of their labour.

“As a global union community, we will hold XPO and its customers responsible for the health and safety of its workforce.”

In a statement, XPO said: “A union report released on 7 October repeats old, inaccurate allegations that were previously debunked. The sole purpose of the report is to further the unions’ financial agenda.

“The fact is, XPO employees in the US have overwhelmingly elected to remain union-free, including recently, when our employees voted down the union four times after four different organizing campaigns. In Europe, we have collaborative relationships with the Works Councils.

“Our highest priority has always been to keep our people safe. We took this to a new level at the onset of the pandemic, and we’ve gone beyond the guidance of leading health organisations in ensuring the safety of our operations.

“We’ve also communicated transparently about these measures, and we reinforce them to our employees. Any contrary claim is false.”

Source: Lloyd’s