Addressed to:
1) Mr Amit Agarwal, Global Senior Vice President and Country Head of Amazon India
2) Mr Abhinav Singh, VP of Operations, Amazon India
3) Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Labour and Employment, Government of India
We demand an equal pay policy for Amazon warehouse workers along with an annual festive bonus, protection against harassment for female workers, provision of proper sanitation facilities, and fair compensation for work-related accidents.
What’s the issue?
Imagine standing for 10 hours a day, processing up to 240 items per hour, with only two 10-minute breaks. Sounds ridiculous, right? This is the reality for thousands of Amazon warehouse workers in India, who pick, package, load and ship for meagre wages. .
The working conditions at these workhouses not only compromise the workers’ physical well-being but also their dignity. These workers are given unrealistic daily targets, which if they fail to meet often lead to termination of the contract. Not only that, the volume of work makes accessing the sanitation facilities a luxury that hardly any of the workers can afford. This poses problems for many menstruators who have to navigate work while enduring the excruciating pain and discomfort often accompanied by menstrual cycles. These workers aren’t even permitted to communicate with one another, leading to a work-ethic that is almost robotic and mind-numbing.
Here is a first-hand account of an Amazon warehouse worker:
“I work in the Amazon Outbound department, where I do slam work. In slam, we have to put labels on the packages. In one hour, we have to put 550 to 600 labels. If we do not hit these targets and do 300 to 350, the PS (Problem solver) and PA (Process Assistant) give negative feedback and shout at us, saying the target is not being met. You have to work and hit the targets; otherwise, they say go home if you can’t hit these targets.”
In case a worker suffers an injury, they’re forced to continue working to meet their targets. If they fail to comply, they’re threatened with immediate termination. Further, in the short 30-minute food break, 15 minutes are spent passing the security check, leaving barely any time to grab a bite. This harsh reality demands urgent attention and intervention to ensure that the fundamental rights of Amazon's warehouse workforce are safeguarded.
An 18-year old warehouse worker’s experience working at an Amazon warehouse in Haryana:
“When I was working at the warehouse, I had an accident in which I hurt my finger. Even though my finger was bleeding, the supervisors handed me a Dolo (paracetamol) tablet and a glove and asked me to continue work. In no time, the blood started to seep out of my glove, so I spoke to my HR. I told them that I would like to go to the hospital to get my wound checked. They told me that if I left from work, I would not get my salary for the day. After a while, I went back to the HR and requested for a leave due to unbearable pain. They responded by saying that since my right hand was hurt, I could work with my left hand, and if I couldn’t do the unloading, then I could do some other work. I was also told that if I complained again, they would blocklist me.
I went to work the next day, and they had already blocklisted me. When I asked them my supervisors about this they said I was blocklisted a month ago, even though I had only worked the previous day.”
The experience of the worker above echoes another important issue. As contractual workers, Amazon warehouse workers’ contracts can be terminated abruptly. This is the case even when a worker has been working at Amazon’s warehouse for over 8 months. This not only means that anyone working in the warehouse can lose their job unexpectedly but also that they do not have access to any work benefits, nor are they on fixed payroll.
Amazon’s warehouse workers are quite literally the backbone of Amazon. Yet, they face relentless exploitation.
We stand with the warehouse workers and demand that:
Equal Pay Policy:
Implement equal pay in Amazon warehouses.
Ensure a minimum salary of Rs 25,000 and a Diwali bonus of Rs 20,000.
End Contract System:
Eliminate the daily contract system in Amazon warehouses and regularize all part-time employees with 200 work days annually.
Ensure that contractual employees who have worked for 240 days are made permanent.
Female Employee Protection:
Establish regulations to prevent harassment of female employees.
Welfare and sanitation facilities
Provide adequate and convenient welfare facilities that provide places to rest and include sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Realistic Targets:
Set practical targets that consider the mental and physical capacity of workers.
Stop the unilateral blocking of cards without notice and end domestic enquiries.
Compensation for Accidents:
Ensure appropriate compensation for all employees affected by duty-related accidents.
It’s time for change. Let’s come together to demand dignity for Amazon’s workforce!
Addressed to:
1) Mr Amit Agarwal, Global Senior Vice President and Country Head of Amazon India
2) Mr Abhinav Singh, VP of Operations, Amazon India
3) Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Labour and Employment, Government of India
We demand an equal pay policy for Amazon warehouse workers along with an annual festive bonus, protection against harassment for female workers, provision of proper sanitation facilities, and fair compensation for work-related accidents.
What’s the issue?
Imagine standing for 10 hours a day, processing up to 240 items per hour, with only two 10-minute breaks. Sounds ridiculous, right? This is the reality for thousands of Amazon warehouse workers in India, who pick, package, load and ship for meagre wages. .
The working conditions at these workhouses not only compromise the workers’ physical well-being but also their dignity. These workers are given unrealistic daily targets, which if they fail to meet often lead to termination of the contract. Not only that, the volume of work makes accessing the sanitation facilities a luxury that hardly any of the workers can afford. This poses problems for many menstruators who have to navigate work while enduring the excruciating pain and discomfort often accompanied by menstrual cycles. These workers aren’t even permitted to communicate with one another, leading to a work-ethic that is almost robotic and mind-numbing.
Here is a first-hand account of an Amazon warehouse worker:
“I work in the Amazon Outbound department, where I do slam work. In slam, we have to put labels on the packages. In one hour, we have to put 550 to 600 labels. If we do not hit these targets and do 300 to 350, the PS (Problem solver) and PA (Process Assistant) give negative feedback and shout at us, saying the target is not being met. You have to work and hit the targets; otherwise, they say go home if you can’t hit these targets.”
In case a worker suffers an injury, they’re forced to continue working to meet their targets. If they fail to comply, they’re threatened with immediate termination. Further, in the short 30-minute food break, 15 minutes are spent passing the security check, leaving barely any time to grab a bite. This harsh reality demands urgent attention and intervention to ensure that the fundamental rights of Amazon's warehouse workforce are safeguarded.
An 18-year old warehouse worker’s experience working at an Amazon warehouse in Haryana:
“When I was working at the warehouse, I had an accident in which I hurt my finger. Even though my finger was bleeding, the supervisors handed me a Dolo (paracetamol) tablet and a glove and asked me to continue work. In no time, the blood started to seep out of my glove, so I spoke to my HR. I told them that I would like to go to the hospital to get my wound checked. They told me that if I left from work, I would not get my salary for the day. After a while, I went back to the HR and requested for a leave due to unbearable pain. They responded by saying that since my right hand was hurt, I could work with my left hand, and if I couldn’t do the unloading, then I could do some other work. I was also told that if I complained again, they would blocklist me.
I went to work the next day, and they had already blocklisted me. When I asked them my supervisors about this they said I was blocklisted a month ago, even though I had only worked the previous day.”
The experience of the worker above echoes another important issue. As contractual workers, Amazon warehouse workers’ contracts can be terminated abruptly. This is the case even when a worker has been working at Amazon’s warehouse for over 8 months. This not only means that anyone working in the warehouse can lose their job unexpectedly but also that they do not have access to any work benefits, nor are they on fixed payroll.
Amazon’s warehouse workers are quite literally the backbone of Amazon. Yet, they face relentless exploitation.
We stand with the warehouse workers and demand that:
Equal Pay Policy:
Implement equal pay in Amazon warehouses.
Ensure a minimum salary of Rs 25,000 and a Diwali bonus of Rs 20,000.
End Contract System:
Eliminate the daily contract system in Amazon warehouses and regularize all part-time employees with 200 work days annually.
Ensure that contractual employees who have worked for 240 days are made permanent.
Female Employee Protection:
Establish regulations to prevent harassment of female employees.
Welfare and sanitation facilities
Provide adequate and convenient welfare facilities that provide places to rest and include sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Realistic Targets:
Set practical targets that consider the mental and physical capacity of workers.
Stop the unilateral blocking of cards without notice and end domestic enquiries.
Compensation for Accidents:
Ensure appropriate compensation for all employees affected by duty-related accidents.
It’s time for change. Let’s come together to demand dignity for Amazon’s workforce!