Getty Images
Amazon warehouse workers have gone on strike in Germany after staff at several logistics centers tested positive for the coronavirus.
The strikes are taking place at six of the e-commerce giant's warehouses across the country on Monday and Tuesday.
German labor union Verdi said on Sunday that Amazon is endangering the lives of warehouse workers.
"Amazon has so far shown no insight and is endangering the health of employees in favor of corporate profit," said Orhan Akman, who is responsible for the retail and mail order sectors at Verdi, in a statement.
Amazon denied that it was endangering the lives of workers.
A recent outbreak at a warehouse in the town of Bad Hersfeld infected at least 30 to 40 Amazon workers, the union said.
Strikes are being held at Amazon warehouses in Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld, Rheinberg, Werne and Koblenz.
Similar strikes have also taken place in the U.S., where Amazon clamped down hard and fired workers.
Last month, Amazon VP Tim Bray quit "in dismay" at the firm's crackdown. In a blog post, the Amazon Web Services engineer said the firing of protesters was evidence of "a vein of toxicity running through the company culture."
Amazon has been accused of having a slower response to the coronavirus than Chinese rivals Alibaba and JD.com.
Over 50 Amazon "fulfilment centers" around the world have seen cases of the coronavirus, while some have dubbed the warehouses as "breeding grounds of coronavirus." At least eight Amazon warehouse workers have died as a result of the coronavirus.
Amazon says it has gone to "great lengths" to protect workers from the virus. Temperature checks, disinfectant spraying, "enhanced" cleaning and social distancing have been introduced at warehouses, and workers are given protective masks to wear. But the virus still seems to be spreading in some warehouses.
"The facts are: by end of June, we will have invested approximately $4 billion worldwide on COVID-related initiatives getting products to customers and keeping employees safe," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC.
"In Germany alone, we have ordered 470 million units of hand disinfectant, 21 million pairs of gloves, 19 million units of face masks, face shields and other mouth-nose-covers, 39 million units of disinfectant wipes. Health authorities and government officials are confirming that we have the right measures in place to protect associates and customers."
"strike" - Google News
June 29, 2020 at 07:48PM
https://ift.tt/2VvSGQp
Amazon warehouse workers go on strike in Germany over coronavirus infections - CNBC
"strike" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WheuPk
https://ift.tt/2VWImBB
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Amazon warehouse workers go on strike in Germany over coronavirus infections - CNBC"
Post a Comment