In a landmark agreement, Amazon, the e-commerce giant, has agreed to allow its employees the rights to freely organise within the Company, that is, on its property.
The settlement was made before the US National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) and the Company vowed to reach out to its warehouse workers via e-mail to notify them of their revised organisational right, before March.
With this agreement in place, the workers of the Company are ensured their right to act collectively to improve their workspaces by forming unions.
Amazon said that its employee base, which is around 7.5L in the US itself, will have more room to organise, and that too in their office spaces.
Further, employees who organise and raise their voices against the Company while engaging in union activities beyond office hours will not be threatened with disciplinary charges or action.
The Company, which is the second largest employer in the country after Walmart, had been maintaining a somewhat anti-union position till now. Employees have time and again alleged that the Company discourages and disapproves of those in favour of unionising.
In the past, Amazon has grabbed headlines for violating labour laws, which has caused its workers to protest and try to form unions. During the pandemic, the Company faced many complaints filed by its workforce, some of which were settled.
Now, the Company may be sued by the board if it is found to be acting against the agreement or found to be not complying with it.
