In March and April, there was uproar in the US when Amazon fired workers who spoke out about health and safety conditions during the pandemic. Not only did it i dentify the existence of unions as a “risk” factor in its 20 annual reports, Amazon also a dvised managers in a 2018 training video to look for “warning signs” of union activity. International human rights law and standards are clear that workers have rights to join and form trade unions, enjoy safe working conditions and have their right to privacy respected.Īlthough Amazon says it respects emp l oyees’ rights to j oin or form a labour union, it has consistently undermined the ability of trade unions to operate. Workers in the UK reported receiving a text message stating that, “starting 21 October we will resume measuring and delivering productivity performance feedback to ensure we are ready to deliver for customers in the coming weeks.” Unions threatened and disciplined However, ahead of the end of year holiday season, in October, Amazon told workers in the US, UK and elsewhere that it was reintroducing them. ” Productivity targets resumedĪmazon suspended its stringent productivity targets for workers in March 2020, in the face of concerns that they were incompatible with health and safety measures required to prevent COVID-19 infections. Amazon must refrain from breaching its workers’ rights to privacy, and stop treating union ac tivity as a threat. “ As Amazon approaches its busiest time of year with Black Friday and Christmas, we are urging the company to respect the human rights of its workers and comply with international labou r standards, which state clearly that workers have a right to unionize. In this context it is alarming that Amazon has treated attempts to unionize with such hostility – as one of the most powerful companies in the world, it should know better,” said Barbora Černušáková, Amnesty International’s Researcher and Advisor on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. “ All through the pandemic, Amazon workers have been risking their health and lives to ensure essential goods are delivered to our doorstep s, help ing Amazon achieve record profit s. Researchers found that Amazon has undermined a ttempts by workers to unionize and collectively negotiate, including through s urveillance in the US and threats of legal action in the UK, and that it has failed to engage on key health and safety issues in Poland and France. It is alarming that Amazon has treated attempts to unionize with such hostility – as one of the most powerful companies in the world, it should know better Barbora Černušáková, Amnesty International’s Researcher and Advisor on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
On Black Friday, one of Amazon’s busiest perio ds, Amnesty International released a new briefing, Amazon, Let Workers Unionize, documenting the company’s treatment of workers in France, Poland, the UK and USA.
People working for Amazon have faced great health and safety risks since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but their ability to speak out and bargain collectively is under pressure from the online retail giant, Amnesty International said today. Press Release NovemBlack Friday rush must not cost Amazon workers their health and safety
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