- Delivery driver working for Midlands agency was robbed shortly after Christmas
- At his recovered, he was told he would lose his job and may have to pay for loss
- He hits out at employer, saying he was blamed for a crime he could not avoid
- Comes after Amazon was criticised for working conditions of agency drivers
Martyn Gilham was told he wouldn’t be able to work for a delivery agency after he was the victim of a robbery
An Amazon delivery driver was sacked after he was the victim of a robbery and could now be forced to pay the cost of the lost parcels.
Martyn Gilham, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, was forced to the ground by an assailant as he delivered products to the website’s customers in Coventry, West Midlands. The robber then drove off with the van and all its contents.
But Mr Gilham’s plight was made all the worse when he was told by the agency he worked for, Fast Despatch Transport Ltd, that they would no longer be using him as a driver.
Worse still, he was told the cost of the parcels and any damage to the company’s van could be taken out of his final pay packet.
More than 60 parcels were still in the delivery van when Mr Gilham was told to hand over the keys by an assailant on December 28.
As he recovered from the incident, his boss sent him a text message stating: ‘We will not use your service anymore… about your earning, we have to wait to see what will be the bill for the van and for the parcels inside and you receive the rest.’
Father-of-one Mr Gilham told The Sun: ‘I feel like I was blamed for something that wasn’t my fault at all. I’m a victim of crime and yet I’m the one who’s getting blamed.’
Police recovered the van, believed to have had all its contents stolen, and are investigating the incident.
It comes after Amazon was criticised over drivers’ working condition at its agencies. File photo
Fast Despatch Transport Ltd were unavailable to comment to MailOnline this morning, but have said they charge drivers to any repairs needed to vans but not for stolen parcels.
Amazon have said the try to ensure workers for delivery agencies they use are ‘treated with respect’.
Last month, the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency vowed to investigate after drivers complained about the conditions they face while delivering packages for agencies employed by Amazon.
Drivers told The Sunday Mirror that they regularly work longer than the legal-maximum 11-hour days and break speed limits to meet delivery goals, which don’t take into account traffic jams, road closures or weather problems.
An Amazon spokesman said at the time: ‘Our delivery providers are expected to ensure drivers receive a minimum £12 per hour before deductions and excluding bonuses, incentives and fuel reimbursements.’