Amazon Workers in Europe Protest and Chant “We Are Not Robots”

    Author Chelsea RohPosted on Categories RetailTags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
    Amazon Workers

    Today marks one of the busiest shopping days of the year for department stores around the globe. Adding to the usual madness, warehouse workers in the UK started protesting Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) over unfair and dangerous working conditions.

    Amazon Workers Protest

    This isn’t the first time the e-commerce giant has faced scrutiny on its workplace conditions, but it is the first major protest in the UK. This protest is fronted by the UK-based trade union GMB.  

    GMB claims that there have been ambulances called to the company’s warehouses over 600 times in the past three years due to Amazon worker injuries. Of those 600 calls, 115 of them were to a single facility in Rugeley that employs close to 2,000 workers, the Guardian reported. 

    Mick Rix, a GMB national offer, told the Guardian, “Companies like Amazon should be treating staff with respect, not treating them like robots.”

    He continued:

    “Hundreds of ambulance call-outs, pregnant women telling us they are forced to stand for 10 hours a day, pick, stow, stretch and bend, pull heavy carts and walk miles—even miscarriages and pregnancy issues at work. None of these things happen in a safe, happy working environments.”

    Black Friday isn’t even the company’s busiest day of the year, as Amazon sees most of its profits on ‘Cyber Monday.’

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    Surprisingly, Amazon replied immediately to the allegations made by GMB and said, “We don’t recognize these allegations as an accurate portrayal of activities in our buildings.”

    Amazon told the Guardian that once the company is made aware of a pregnant Amazon worker, a full risk-assessment is done and if necessary a doctor consultation. If the pregnant mother is seen as “at risk,” Amazon varies the employee’s work conditions or places them on full paid sick leave. 

    AMZN Stock Movement

    Amazon workers remain on strike heading into the weekend and the busy holiday season. The company’s stock fell on the market today, closing at $1,502.06 a share, down -$14.67 (-0.97%). 

    Featured Image: Depositphotos/© josekube

    Author Chelsea Roh
    About the author: Chelsea Roh is a freelance writer. Her current focus is blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. One could even call her a blockchain "enthusiast." In addition to content writing, she is an experienced SEO and Social Media Strategist. Before moving to Canada, she spent 10+ years marketing and working hands-on in the medical practice industry within the U.S.A.