One-third of U.S. warehouse workers work for Amazon, but nearly half of all work-related accidents in 2021 were at the e-commerce giant, according to a report released Tuesday by a trade union organization.
According to the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), employees at Amazon’s logistics centers suffered more than 34,000 “serious injuries” at work last year, twice as many as in other US warehouses.
“After relaxing some of its disciplinary methods during the first months of the covid-19 pandemic, Amazon reinstated its control and pressure systems in late 2020 and then significantly increased the injury rate,” the SOC said.
The group said it relied on information provided by Amazon to the US Federal Accident Prevention Service (OSHA).
During the pandemic, Amazon expanded its operations and recruited many. According to this report, in the USA the giant of e-commerce in 2020 had 700 warehouses, while in 2021 their number increased to 900. In 2017, Amazon employed more than 200,000 people, while in 2021 it exceeded 560,000.
In June 2021 the company revised working conditions in the US, extending the breaks of employees responsible for preparing parcels.
The decision came after another SOC report, in which the organization complained about working conditions in Amazon warehouses, and after the attempt of the workers in its warehouse in Besemer, Alabama, to form a union.
This attempt failed, but during the voting campaign, the inhumane working conditions faced by many workers were exposed.
“We must do the best for our employees,” wrote Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, in his annual letter to shareholders.
“We will become the best employer and the safest work environment on Earth,” he said, referring to measures the company has already taken to reduce the musculoskeletal problems of employees whose work requires repetitive movement.
But “contrary to this commitment (…) the injury rate in Amazon warehouses increased by 20% from 2020 to 2021,” the SOC said.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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