LEAKED internal documents from courier firm DPD have revealed how its temporary workers are losing out on sick pay and pensions.

Temporary staff have either not been paid their entitlements, were discouraged from taking time off or were removed from their roles before company pension contributions were due, experts said on Sunday.

Payments were missing from internal spreadsheets which calculate the cost of employing thousands of transient workers, according to the report, published in the Guardian.

These would have typically been included in the “charge rate” paid to recruitment companies supplying large brands with temporary staff. But internal records, seen by the newspaper, detailing the costs of paying more than 3,000 transient workers hired by DPD in the past two financial years did not include this information.

They showed figures concerning hourly pay rates, holiday pay, employer’s National Insurance contributions and the margin for the recruitment agency, but had nothing referencing sick pay or pension payments.

Zoe Lagadec, principal at employment law solicitors Mulberry’s, said: “This raises questions if the workers are receiving statutory sick pay — as it doesn’t make sense that nobody gets ill — or if they are being moved on before 12 weeks’ service in order to avoid pension contributions.”

DPD, owned by France’s La Poste, calls itself “one of Europe’s leading parcel groups.” The company says it employs more than 15,000 people and its customers have included John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Amazon.

A company spokesperson said: “We take our legal, regulatory and ethical responsibilities extremely seriously. 

“As a client, engaging third-party employment agencies, DPD pays an agreed commercial charge rate to agency suppliers for providing temporary labour.”