Image: Ronny Hartmann / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Has Amazon insufficiently protected its warehouse workers from the coronavirus? Faced with serious allegations from the US state of New York, the company must now answer to court.
The US state of New York has sued the online retail giant Amazon over allegations of insufficient protection for warehouse workers from the coronavirus. In the pandemic, Amazon put its profit above the welfare of its employees, New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Wednesday. Employees who complained about inadequate security precautions have been fired.
“While Amazon and its boss (Jeff Bezos) made billions during this crisis, hard-working employees endured unsafe conditions and were punished for legitimately voicing their concerns,” said James. Amazon has not done enough to ensure the “health and safety” of its employees.
The attorney general opened an investigation last spring. They focused on an Amazon warehouse in New York’s Staten Island neighborhood and a logistics center in Queens. More than 5000 people work there. According to the lawsuit, Amazon violated guidelines on cleaning and disinfection and tracking contacts after infections.
Amazon rejects guilt
The group also prevented employees from protecting themselves, argues James. Employees who defended themselves were unlawfully dismissed or otherwise punished. The lawsuit calls on the online giant to do more to protect employees and to pay compensation to a laid-off employee and an employee who has been warned.
Image: Keystone / dpa / Rolf Vennenbernd
Amazon firmly denied the allegations on Wednesday. “The health and safety of our employees are very important to us,” said a spokeswoman. The lawsuit does not correctly reflect the Group’s response to the pandemic. Amazon says it has invested billions in protecting its employees from the corona virus.
The corona pandemic had massively boosted online retail last year. Worldwide, more orders were placed on the Internet because stores had to close in lockdown phases or because customers generally avoided going to stores. Amazon hired tens of thousands of new employees to meet demand. Sales rose sharply.
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