Amazon is grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons yet again. During a protest by its warehouse employees in Britain, some employees have made certain shocking revelations about the pitiable work conditions at the e-commerce company. They claim that they are questioned if they have been ‘idle’ for over half an hour.
The employees have reportedly told BBC that they are questioned if they are missing from their desks for a little while or stop working for some time. They alleged that the Company keeps track of their toilet breaks too. Some claim that the robots at the warehouse are given better treatment than the workers themselves.
Employees reveal that at times it is not always possible to find a free toilet near the building. Therefore, it may take a little more than 15 minutes to find a toilet and return to work, but such ‘extended’ breaks are questioned by the managers, as part of the performance-management system that the Company follows.
However, the Company claims the performance of the employees is measured only basis the time spent at the desk or station; that the moment the employee logs out — which they are free to do any time during the day — the performance-management tool also pauses.
The strike was actually called by the workers against the five per cent pay hike, which is lower than the hike in cost of living. The surging inflation has made it difficult for workers across the UK to make ends meet. This is being labelled as the first formal protest by Amazon workers in the UK. The workers have been demanding that their salaries be hiked to £15 per hour, which is what is paid to their counterparts in the US.
These revelations about the working conditions were made by some of the striking workers.
