Despite Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos reclaiming the title of the richest person on Earth, reports suggest that its workers are facing harsh working conditions, including being unable to take bathroom breaks due to the pressure of meeting inhumane performance targets.
During a hearing in the European Parliament in January, where Amazon’s chair remained empty, testimonies from employees shed light on the horrible working conditions within the company.
One particularly disturbing story involved a worker who was fired after witnessing an accident, in order to prevent any negative repercussions. Reports also mention strict monitoring of breaks, cameras in front of bathroom doors, and workers feeling dehumanized and like slaves or robots.
There is no place for such exploitation in Europe. Amazon must adhere to European rules and values if it wishes to operate and profit in Europe. It is essential to ensure that Amazon pays fair wages and respects workers’ rights by treating them as humans, not machines.
In response to these issues, the Socialists and Democrats are organizing a Europe-wide Amazon action day on Friday, 12 April, in collaboration with UNI Europa, the European Services Workers Union. The aim is to empower employees to stand up against Amazon’s exploitation by engaging with workers and trade unions in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.
This initiative is a direct response to Amazon’s dismissive attitude towards workers’ rights, as they have refused to participate in parliamentary hearings and cancelled visits to observe working conditions in their warehouses, while attempting to influence decisions through alternative means.
In February, MEPs, trade unions, and civil society successfully campaigned to restrict Amazon lobbyists from freely entering the European Parliament. Following public scrutiny, Amazon has updated its registration in the EU Transparency Register and increased its reported spending to at least €4.5m.
The next step involves traveling across Europe to meet with workers and trade union representatives, listening to their stories, and coordinating further action.
Worker Surveillance
Given the numerous testimonies, it is crucial to protect Amazon workers from extensive surveillance by advocating for new European legislation on artificial intelligence in the workplace. This legislation should be modeled after recent platform work laws and uphold the human-in-command principle, prohibit the use of AI to process workers’ data, require agreement with workers’ representatives on AI deployment, and impose sanctions for non-compliance.
Furthermore, the next parliament must combat practices that enable worker exploitation, such as union busting and disregard for collective bargaining. Enforcing the EU minimum wage legislation, ensuring collective bargaining coverage, and strengthening sectoral agreements throughout Amazon’s supply chain are essential steps.
Union-busting should be criminalized to allow for penalties, including prison sentences, for violations of labour rights and anti-union activities. Trade unions must have unrestricted access to Amazon’s facilities to represent workers effectively and negotiate fair working conditions.
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Additionally, the next parliament should revise European public procurement legislation to deter public funding of Amazon’s social dumping and prioritize companies that uphold labour rights and engage in collective bargaining. Research has shown that Amazon received over €1.3bn in lucrative public contracts in Europe from 2019 to 2021.
UNI Europa created a board game called Amazonopoly to raise awareness of Amazon’s monopolistic practices and exploitation of workers. The game highlights how Amazon profits from underpaid and mistreated workers and emphasizes the need for fair treatment in Europe.
“You paid for all this,” Bezos said to Amazon workers and buyers upon returning from space in July 2021. It is time for Amazon to give back and play fair in Europe.
