IWGB statement on the sale of Addison Lee

As many of you will have seen, Addison Lee has been put up for sale by its owners led by Cheyne Capital and Liam Griffin. This can understandably cause anxiety and worry amongst drivers given previous changes in ownership, however, we would like to explain what this means for you as drivers at Addison Lee and what we can do as a union in response.

Private equity firms such as Cheyne Capital and previously the Carlyle Group have one sole interest in purchasing companies like Addison Lee:

• Stripping its assets
• Loading it up with debt
• Passing the costs of paying these debts on to workers
• Selling it within 5 to 10 years for a profit

As you no doubt saw with the original sale to the Carlyle group, this means squeezing more out of drivers already stretched to their limits, while at the same time cutting salaries and increasing car rent. In essence, you work more so they make money.

The difference this time around is that, as the sale approaches, drivers have been getting organised and coming together to fight these oppressive and exploitative firms. As you saw recently, Addison Lee was forced to backtrack on its invasive CCTV policy simply because drivers in the union came together and spoke as a united workforce. As a driver, YOU have the power to influence decisions and change policies if you continue to stand united and take action.

Addison Lee is in a vulnerable position. An impending court case likely to cost them at least 10s of millions of pounds, coupled with a workforce uniting to fight back against declining conditions, will not be an attractive proposition for any firm looking at a potential purchase. They are relying on drivers to stay quiet, keep working endless hours to make the company higher profits, entice another firm to make a purchase, and then restart the cycle again. This is a key moment in which we need to make our voices heard.

We should also take this opportunity to let you know that the sale of Addison Lee will NOT affect the status of the claim against Addison Lee for backdated holiday pay. This claim is made against the company, meaning any prospective owners are legally liable for the claim.

It is now more vital than ever that you join the union, join the claim and make a stand to show that it is the drivers who are Addison Lee’s most important asset. Look out for further communications from the IWGB.