A recent survey conducted by UNI Global Union and others reveals alarming conditions faced by Amazon India warehouse workers and delivery drivers. Almost 90% of warehouse employees report insufficient restroom breaks, with many feeling pressured to meet demanding work targets that leave little time for rest or socializing. Workers describe grueling shifts in intense heat, sometimes resorting to resting in bathroom stalls due to cramped break rooms. Despite Amazon’s denial and claims of satisfaction among employees, the survey paints a starkly different picture of unsafe working conditions and stagnant wages, fueling concerns about worker exploitation at the multinational giant’s facilities in India.
According to a recent poll, almost 90% of Amazon India’s warehouse workers claim they are not given enough time to use the restroom. This information adds to a mounting body of evidence regarding the company’s subpar working conditions.
An extensive report (view below) on the conditions that drivers and warehouse workers of the world’s largest e-commerce company face daily is provided by Jarrow Insights, a workers’ cooperative based in London, the UNI Global Union, and the Amazon India Workers Association.
1,238 Amazon India warehouse employees and 600 delivery drivers participated in the online poll between February 2 and March 22, 2018, making up 2 to 5% of the company’s workforce in the nation for warehouse and delivery operations reports The Independent.
It follows several complaints regarding dangerous working conditions at the facilities owned by Amazon India.
The National Human Rights Commission requested a probe, at which point India’s labor ministry stepped in.
Amazon India acknowledged the occurrence in response to the ministry, but downplayed it as “unfortunate and isolated.”
The survey presents a confusing image.
Approximately 81% of Amazon India warehouse workers claim that it is tough or extremely difficult to meet the company’s job goals.
Because the targets are so demanding, they hardly ever get time for socializing, sleeping, or eating.
Speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, a warehouse worker tells The Independent, “We aren’t even able to talk to anyone at work due to work pressure.”
The laborers recount working ten hours nonstop on their feet in 35°C heat for a monthly salary of Rs 10,000 (£94).
The Manesar warehouse is open from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm, with two 30-minute breaks during the workday. An employee in the inbound department typically unloads four trucks a day, each with about ten thousand packages. The Indian Express claims that when Amazon has sales, the number may increase.
The majority of the company’s warehouse employees—nearly 87%—state that they do not have enough time to use the restroom during work.
Managers, according to a worker who spends her day sorting products, come hunting for staff members who they believe use the restroom excessively long.
“The designated break rooms are small and unbearably hot, so many female workers end up resting in the bathrooms during their breaks,” she says, responding to the survey.
However, if supervisors think we have stayed too long, they come looking for us and put pressure on us to go back to work.
Another employee claims that if they spend more than ten minutes in the restroom, they get upset about being late.
The accusations, according to Amazon, are “factually incorrect and unsubstantiated.”
Regarding the survey, a firm representative informs The Independent, “We have not been given access to the material being quoted by The Independent.”
But based on the scant information that has been provided, we find these assertions to be unfounded, factually inaccurate, and at odds with direct statements from our staff. Furthermore, it seems that the methodology used to collect this data was at best dubious and at worst purposefully created to support a particular narrative that some groups are attempting to pass off as fact.
According to a business spokeswoman, an internal poll reveals that 87% of employees at the Manesar factory are happy in their roles, and “as many as eight out of 10 recommend Amazon as a great place to work.”
“The reality is there’s nothing more important to us than the safety and well-being of our employees and associates, and we comply with all relevant laws and regulations. Our facilities are industry-leading and provide competitive pay, comfortable working conditions, and specially designed infrastructure to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for all,” the spokesperson says.
However, according to the worker associations’ analysis, Amazon uses a “combination of human managers and automated systems” to impose productivity targets, creating an inflexible structure that penalizes employees for mistakes made by mistake.
Employees at Amazon have previously claimed that many get blacklisted due to the strict attendance requirements and quotas.
A worker on Amazon’s blacklist is effectively prohibited from ever working for the company again.
“They blacklist people on small issues, issue warning letters and terminate them from the company,” a worker says, responding to the survey. Another says workers “are placed in the identity blocklist” if they do not meet targets.
An unidentified worker was quoted in the Hindustan Times newspaper as saying, “Our IDs are blocked, impacting our livelihoods, if we miss a day due to health reasons or family emergencies.”
According to an Amazon representative, the productivity goals are standard for the sector.
“Like most companies, we have performance expectations for every employee and associate and we measure actual performance against those expectations. When setting those targets we take into account time in role, experience, and the safety and wellbeing of our employees and associates,” the spokesperson says.
“We support people who are not performing to the levels expected with dedicated coaching to help them improve. We are confident that our targets are comfortably achievable by the trained associates. We also expand the associate pool whenever we find it necessary.”
However, according to the worker associations’ research, 47.3% of delivery drivers and 44.9% of warehouse employees believe that working at Amazon is dangerous.
The drivers claim that to reach their goals, they must drive recklessly. “Sometimes, due to delivery targets, we have to drive fast. Then, whom should we ask to look out for our safety? There is no hearing of our grievances,” the report quotes a driver as saying.
“The company says that the weight of an order is up to 40kg but we are given up to 70kg,” says another. “While carrying it, we have to take care of our own safety and that of others which sometimes leads to situations that can become very difficult.”
According to the report, 37.2% of drivers and 46.4% of warehouse employees at Amazon India claim that their pay isn’t enough to cover their basic expenses.
Rising inflation combined with stagnating salaries exacerbates the financial hardship. “I have worked for Amazon for the past eight years. It’s been four years since there was a pay increase. According to a warehouse worker, “The old associates and the new joining associates are on the same income now.
“Fair and competitive wages” are what Amazon claims to offer, and the company “ensures adherence to all applicable wage laws across the states where we operate” by periodically reviewing its wage structure against industry benchmarks.
“Our comprehensive wage package aims to incentivize and reward our associates through a combination of fixed pay, monthly attendance bonuses, and additional incentives, enabling them to enhance their earning potential,” the company spokesperson tells The Independent.
“In addition, all associates working at our buildings are entitled to Provident Fund and Employees’ State Insurance Corporate benefits, in accordance with applicable laws. All associates have medical, personal accident, and term insurance, over and above the minimum statutory requirement of ESIC.”
Amazon has been under fire for subjecting its employees to appalling working conditions in the US and the UK, among other nations.
According to a 2019 report, employees at a UK-based Amazon warehouse were required to use plastic bottles for urination instead of using the restroom while on duty. Following more than 600 reports from Amazon warehouses to the Health and Safety Executive over the previous four years, labor unions said that they were going to take action.
GreatGameIndia reported that sixty Indian youths returned to Delhi after being trafficked to Cambodia, where they were tortured and forced into cyber scams. Up to 300 Indians protested in Sihanoukville, demanding an investigation and a safe return to India.
Read the survey below:
Exporting-The-Amazon-Panopticon-Report