Dragonfly delivery drivers in Thompson Okanagan strike again over unsafe conditions, replacement of workers

Dragonfly drivers replaced

Photo: Contributed

Dragonfly drivers strike outside of services building on Beaver Lake Road in Lake Country.

Delivery drivers working for Dragonfly, a subcontractor for Amazon, across the Thompson Okanagan are back on strike Wednesday after they say their demands were not met and many drivers have been replaced.

On Tuesday, several drivers told Castanet they have been forced to work late into the night, often completing their routes well past midnight, sometimes in unsafe conditions.

The drivers are not unionized.

On Wednesday dozens of drivers stood outside the Dragonfly services building on Beaver Lake Road in Lake Country, with signs saying:

‘We want solution not replacement,’ and ‘we demand professional management.’

Dragonfly driver Anirudh Bansal says after yesterdays protest management had told the drivers they could start early on Wednesday as requested, but Bansai says he showed up Wednesday morning to find someone had replaced him.

“They promised us to find a solution for our problems and today instead of finding a solution for our problem they called drivers from other Dragonfly stations to cover the routes and deliver the parcels,” he said.

Bansal says most of the replacement drivers have come in from Vernon and Surrey .

On Tuesday evening Dragonfly responded to Castanet’s request for comment saying a resolution had been reached.

“We are aware of the actions taken by delivery drivers at our Kelowna station this afternoon,” a Dragonfly spokesperson said in an emailed statement sent to Castanet.

“After collaborative discussions with the independent contractors who hire the drivers, we have found a path to resolution that ensures driver safety and timely parcel delivery within the next 24 hours.

“The security of drivers will always be of importance to us.”

Kelowna Dragonfly driver Kartit Bishnoi believes the replacement is permanent.

“They said the strike is against Amazon’s policy. They fired us and replaced us.”

Bishnoi says the drivers who speak out publicly will be fired.

“The guys who are complaining more and more they will fire them and only hire a person who will work in any condition,” he said.

In an email to Castanet on Wednesday afternoon Dragonfly says Kelowna drivers were not replaced by other Dragonfly drivers.

"We can confirm that no drivers from other stations were operating from our Kelowna station today. An independent delivery contractor may have decided not to book a driver who usually operates from the Kelowna station today, for a reason of its own, which is something Dragonfly does not have any control over," the email said.

Some Canada Post workers, who are also on strike joined the protest in Lake Country on Wednesday.