On Thursday, Amnesty International warned that Amazon must not sacrifice its workers' wellbeing and safety to fulfill the demands of Black Friday online purchases. They have also accused the Internet commerce company of suppressing workers' right to insist on better working conditions.
The Human Rights Group stated in a document entitled "Amazon, Let Employees Unionize!" that Amazon has hindered the efforts of workers to unionize and negotiate together.
An Amnesty researcher, Barbora Cernusakova, stated in a comment: "As Amazon approaches its busiest time of year with Black Friday and Christmas, we are urging the company to respect the human rights of its workers and comply with international labor standards."
Amnesty said in a comment following the report that the said company has participated in "surveillance in the United States and threats of legal action in the U.K." and "has failed to engage on key health and safety issues in Poland and France."
The human rights organization also suspected Amazon of increasing efficiency targets before the crazy Christmas holiday shopping season.
Such measures have been revoked in March when an Amazon warehouse employee charged the organization for not doing more to safeguard its workers from the possible spread of COVID-19 at the workplace.
Amazon has generated massive profits during the outbreak, to become a trillion dollar-dollar businesses as customers choose shopping online than to go to physical stores in person.
Black Friday goals
Black Friday, celebrated the day after U.S. Thanksgiving, is one of the biggest sales events for United States retailers every year. According to Forbes, it saw a total of $7.2 billion in digital sales in the U.S. alone in 2019.
Some nations have a history of competing with U.S. retailers, particularly as revenues have gone online.
Amnesty International has also stated in its report that as the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak erupted, Amazon advised employees in numerous nations that "productivity goals" for transporting goods would start in anticipation of the major shopping period.
The report had this to say: "Workers in the U.K. reported receiving a text message stating that, 'Starting 21 October we will resume measuring and delivering productivity performance feedback to ensure we are ready to deliver for customers in the coming weeks."
"Guided by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we commit to embedding respect for human rights throughout our business," it stated.
Holiday bonuses
Amazon revealed on Thursday that the company is rewarding front-line employees with a one-time incentive to express their gratitude for their efforts moving to the height of the holiday season.
In a blog post, Amazon's senior vice president of retail operations, Dave Clark, mentioned that full-time production employees hired by the company would get a $300 bonus from December 1 to December 31. A $150 bonus will be given to part-time employees working during the same timeframe.
"I've been at Amazon for 22 holiday seasons and this one is definitely unique, to say the least," he stated. "I'm grateful to our teams who continue to play a vital role serving their communities," he added.
In addition to this, Amazon said it would invest more than $500 million in one-time holiday bonuses. In June, Amazon had even paid $500 million on "Thank You" bonuses for front-line workers who wanted to operate amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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