For years, Amazon has been at the forefront of controversy about the treatment of its workers. Though the company denies its infractions of workers rights, critics have exposed how detrimental these working conditions are.
Studies by the Strategic Organizing Center note that Amazon’s “obsession with speed” puts the workers in danger. When workers fall under the pressure of meeting stringent production quotas, their risk of injury increases. Nearly one in five of Amazon’s delivery drivers suffered injuries in 2021. This injury rate alarmingly increased by 40% from last year’s. This obsession with speed is also apparent in the way that they strictly monitor their employees. Workers are constantly criticized for “idle time”, even if it lasts for just a few minutes. An Amazon spokesman has revealed: “Performance is only measured when an employee is at their station and logged in to do their job.” However, Darren Westwood, an Amazon worker, highly condemns these policies. He has revealed his distress about how even his bathroom breaks are tracked and the way that managers constantly question him about his idle time.
Amazon had aspired to control its workers even further by patenting a design for a wristband that tracks the workers’ locations and “nudging” them in the direction of their next assignment, creating a tight schedule and toxic work environment. Due to ethical issues, Amazon abandoned this patent, but the spirit of this bizarre concept lives on. Recently, on December 27 2022, 61-year-old Rick Jacobs died at the Amazon DEN4 warehouse in Colorado Springs, Colorado, yet instead of moving the body, managers created a makeshift barrier around the deceased worker using cardboard bins, outrageously claiming that this act would avoid distracting other employees from work. Witnesses were shocked by the “blatant disregard of human emotions at this facility”. An anonymous worker discloses: “No one should have been told to work alongside a dead body, particularly after witnessing it…[we received] no warnings before walking into the building”. Another asks: “Do you think we could not have had a little respect and shut down long enough to at least get the body out of the facility and clean up after him before people are milling around like nothing’s happening?”
Amazon’s disregard for the well-being of its workers also applies economically. On January 25, 2023, Amazon warehouse workers in rhe UK staged their first-ever strike over pay and working conditions. Staff were angered with the pay increase of just 50 pence per hour. Workers claim that the 5% pay increase fails to match the inflation of living costs and want a minimum £15 an hour. Some of the staff are working up to 60 hours a week just so they can meet mortgage payments. Westwood revealed to CNBC: “Someone the other day said we’re treated like robots—no, robots are treated better”. Bogdan, another participant in the strike, said that this extremely low pay offer insulted staff. He chose to join the strike because he wanted the public to “understand what is going on” behind the scenes every time they choose the convenience of Amazon. Though Amazon attempts to cover up these situations and portray themselves as a perfect corporation, one must accept that these events are a reality that threaten workers rights to safety and economic stability.
Sources:
Sanato, Michael. “‘Lack of Respect’: Outcry over Amazon Employee’s Death on Warehouse Floor.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 Jan. 2023, https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/09/amazon-employee-death-warehouse-floor-colorado.
Browne, Ryan. “’Robots Are Treated Better’: Amazon Warehouse Workers Stage First-Ever Strike in the UK.” CNBC, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/01/25/amazon-workers-stage-first-ever-strike-in-the-uk-over-pay-working-conditions.html.
Jordan, Dearbail, and Zoe Conway. “Amazon Strikes: Workers Claim Their Toilet Breaks Are Timed.” BBC News, BBC, 25 Jan. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64384287.amp.
Dawood, Sarah. “Amazon’s Worker Surveillance ‘Leads to Extreme Stress and Anxiety.’” New Statesman, New Statesman, 4 Nov. 2022, https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/cybersecurity/2022/11/amazon-worker-surveillance-extreme-stress-anxiety.
“’Grueling’: Amazon Workers Describe What It’s like Working Peak Season.” VICE, VICE, 15 Dec. 2022, https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxna3q/grueling-amazon-workers-describe-what-its-like-working-peak-season.
Annierpalmer. “Amazon Faces Probe by Federal Prosecutors and OSHA into Warehouse Safety.” CNBC, CNBC, 19 July 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/07/18/amazon-faces-probe-by-federal-prosecutors-osha-into-warehouse-safety.html.
Annierpalmer. “Nearly One in Five Amazon Delivery Drivers Suffered Injuries in 2021, Study Finds.” CNBC, CNBC, 24 May 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/24/study-nearly-one-in-five-amazon-drivers-suffered-injuries-in-2021.html.
Written by Aava Ghorbanian
Edited by: Sophia Zhou
South African Erosion of Workers’ Rights