A courier is suing DHL after claiming he was sacked for complaining of racial discrimination from colleagues who told him to “f*** off back to where you came from”.
Kevin Bijou, 46, owns Knightrider Express Couriers Ltd and worked as a subcontractor delivering and collecting parcels for DHL in its East Midlands depot, in Bulwell, for six years from 2014.
While working there, Mr Bijou, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage, alleges that he was racially abused by various DHL employees between October 2017 to September 2020. Examples of the alleged abuse include him being addressed with racial slurs, such as P***, “c***” and “Black b******”, and told by senior staff to “f*** off back to where you came from”.
Remarks such as “you people think you can come here and do whatever you want” were also allegedly made, as well as jokes about bananas at his expense.
Mr Bijou made a number of complaints to DHL about alleged racial discrimination, beginning in October 2017. However, in September 2020 the Nottingham resident’s contract was terminated without notice by the company. He was told that after careful consideration, DHL had decided that the interests of both businesses would be best served by parting ways.
Mr Bijou has now launched legal action against the delivery giant and a tribunal will begin hearing his claims today. At least eight witnesses have come forward to support Mr Bijou’s accounts; some were also racially abused, court documents allege.
DHL denies all allegations.
Siobhan Mulrey, a senior associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, who is representing Mr Bijou, said: “[Although] Kevin was not directly employed by DHL, he is still afforded protection against being subjected to discriminatory treatment under Section 41 of the Equality Act 2010.
“The tribunal will now thoroughly examine Kevin’s concerns. If the tribunal finds issues in the way he was treated, it’s vital that lessons are learned.”
In addition to seeking compensation for financial loss as a result of being dismissed in 2020, Mr Bijou is claiming an injury to feelings award. He also wants a declaration that DHL discriminated against him on the grounds of race. DHL denies the allegations.
Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Mr Bijou said: “This case is not about the money – I am not guaranteed to win and even if I do I’ll be lucky to get my costs of £120,000 back. It’s about principle.”
Mr Bijou, who said he had to sell some of his delivery vans in order to meet his legal costs, continued: “I’m one of these guys who doesn’t go out, drink, smoke, take drugs and never have done. All I do is work and take care of my family. But now I’ve had to sell everything that I’ve built up.
“The gig economy, where people are not given employment status, has been around a hell of a long time. I was subcontractor at DHL and within this gig economy, workers like myself are given contracts and told we’re self-employed, so there’s no liability on these employers to protect our basic rights.”
Alex Norris, the Labour MP for Nottingham North, has been supporting his constituent.
“Kevin is a hard-working member of our community, who has provided a strong service and lots of local employment,” the MP told The Independent.
“It’s vital he now gets his day in court and impartial adjudication of the facts.”
A spokesperson for DHL Parcel UK said: “Diversity and respect are fundamental to the values we uphold at DHL. We take a firm stand against discrimination and it is not tolerated. We are defending the claims. However, while the legal dispute is ongoing, we cannot comment further at this time.”
