Did he work himself to death?
Päckli courier worked 14 hours a day – now he’s dead
In Great Britain, the courier Warren N. († 49) was found dead in his van. Due to the flood of packages due to the upcoming Black Friday, he had worked up to 14 hours a day.
Warren N.* was found dead in his van in England on Wednesday.
Seven days passed before the body of DPD courier Warren N.* († 49) was found. As the “Sun» reported he was found dead in his van in Dartford, a town in south-east England on Wednesday. This following working overtime for weeks because of Black Friday.
Because of the upcoming discount battle, the packages would have piled up. The single father of a 14-year-old daughter is said to have worked up to 14 hours a day. “Warren has been working so much overtime lately to deliver as many packages as possible,” a source told the British newspaper. A DPD courier would deliver around 150 parcels a day.
He only earned ten francs an hour
Managers would persuade employees to work more days and longer shifts. So it was that Warren N. was on duty six or seven days a week. He started at 6 a.m. and sometimes worked until 8 p.m. The courier is said to have earned just under 140 Swiss francs a day. This corresponds to an hourly wage of ten francs.
N. is said to have worked for DPD for around two years. The company expressed its dismay at the sudden death of its courier. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this moment,” said a DPD spokesman for the “Sun”.
Colleagues found him
The courier was found by his colleagues. When they first saw him slumped at the wheel of the van, they thought he was asleep. When they knocked on the window and there was no reaction, it was clear to them: something mightn’t be right. They then smashed the window, causing N.’s lifeless body to fall to the ground.
Any help came too late for the courier. Despite resuscitation measures, Warren N. had to be declared dead. (dzc)
*Name known
