French minister slams Amazon for “unacceptable’’ pressure on workers

Pressure

Paris, March 19, 2020 (dpa/NAN) French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has slammed internet retail giant Amazon over allegations it was putting staff under pressure to work in hygiene conditions they felt were unsuitable amid the spread of the coronavirus.

“These forms of pressure are unacceptable. I will say so to Amazon,’’ Le Maire told France Inter radio.

Le Maire praised employees across the country who were continuing to work, and urged employers to take the time to discuss health precautions with their staff.

He said if companies took half a day or a day to agree precautions with their workforce, it would be time well spent.

According to research firm EMarketer, Amazon accounts for 38 per cent of all U.S. online retail sales.

More than 150 million people worldwide pay for an Amazon Prime membership (119 dollars a year, or 59 dollars a year for students), which includes same-day or one-day delivery, but that benefit is being overwhelmed by the disruption, analysts said.

Amazon also said that it’s prioritising shipments of medical supplies, household staples, and other products that were in high demand due to the pandemic. Items deemed nonessential will have to wait.

The e-commerce giant told third-party merchants that use its platform which account for about 58 per cent of all goods sold on its site that it would stop accepting their shipments to its warehouses if their products weren’t on that priority list, at least through April 5.

Amazon said those merchants could still sell on Amazon but would be responsible for storing and shipping the goods themselves, a task for which many are not equipped.

The result: Customers ordering certain electronics, toys, apparel, and other goods on Amazon are looking at deliveries that could take days or more, even if those items already are sitting in Amazon’s warehouses.

Amazon said it was hiring an additional 100,000 U.S. employees to meet “the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time.’’

The Seattle company also said it was raising its U.S. hourly workers’ pay by 2 dollars an hour through April from its current rate of 15 dollars an hour or more, depending on the region, as they handle the onslaught of orders. (dpa/NAN)

HLM/YEE

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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed/Emmanuel Yashim