Amazon U.K. accused of sweatshop conditions

The next time you feel your boss is driving you like a heartless task master, you might want to ponder the alleged plight of some poor lads in England.

Temporary workers at Amazon.com's U.K. fulfillment centers risk being terminated if they call in sick and are required to work seven days a week, according to a report published Sunday in The Times of London. Employees reportedly get only two short breaks for an eight-hour shift and must request permission to use the toilet. The temporary employees hired to handle the seasonal increase in business earn the equivalent of $10.40 an hour but must pay $13 a day to take a bus to the warehouse if they can't arrange their own transportation, the newspaper reported.

Employees are also penalized for not achieving what one manager called "ridiculous" packing quotas and are often required to walk up to 14 miles during the course of a shift to retrieve items for shipping, according to a Times reporter who went undercover at Amazon's Bedfordshire warehouse.

Amazon does not deny the report. llan Lyall, vice president of European operations for Amazon, responded to the report in a statement printed with the story:

Every single member of the Amazon.co.uk workforce... is currently working flat out to ensure that our millions of customers receive the products that they have ordered on time this Christmas. Our number one focus is our customers and everyone at Amazon works hard on their behalf.

Apparently, it's also well known that being a holiday temp is the only way to get a full-time job with the company and that competition is fierce.

Demand for permanent roles from our temporary employees is at such a high level that we no longer need to recruit externally for permanent positions. Indeed, we have already seen well over 100 temporary employees become permanent this year alone. During 2008, we have taken on over 4,000 temporary fulfillment center associates in the U.K. and are benefiting from the lowest level of employees leaving the company that we have experienced over all our 11 Christmases.

Representatives for the company in the U.S. did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but spokeswoman Patty Smith told the Seattle Press Intelligencer that there were "inaccuracies" in The Times report.

"Don't believe everything you read!" Smith said via e-mail. "There were many inaccuracies in the U.K. article. Case in point: We don't allow FC (fulfillment center) associates to work more than 6 days a week in any location--they must have at least one day off."

[MSSlayer]

Wal mart had official policies about not working off the clock.

Corporations are not to be trusted. This report is likely far more true than false.

[slickuser]

Punish Amazon who exploits employees!!!!

[MadLyb]

Nobody makes you take the job.

The only way a company will change these behaviors will be if people don't respond to the jobs. Instead, you take the job and then complain to the media as a negotiating tactic?! The sense of entitlement is just silly.

I think you will find that most company's that use seasonal workers have similar requirements.

[old3eyes]

Guess your current job is nice and secure..

[Mister C]

Corporations count on just this mentality, play one off
against the other and then blame the victim.

Working people need to hang together (or we will surely
hang separately) so everyone can get a fair share of the
pie, not just the corporate dimwits who run the companies
into the ground and then blame the workers for their own
mismanagement.

Oh Ya, then after they FUBAR it they want those
same taxpayers to pay for their incompetence.

What this country needs is a good old fashioned
revolution! Where is a Thomas Paine when we
really need him?

[man290663]

we have such things as LAWS that prevent this.

Working time directive no more than 48 hours a week max.
Factory acts and VDU regulations requiring 5 mins break/hour
Minimum wage laws £5.75 per hour min.

Amazon work their staff hard but thats not uncommon in the UK where staff work the longest hours, for lowest pay and least holiday and benefits in the developed world.

in the UK anyone on $30,000 a year is considered poor by the media for a 30/hours week with 20 public +30 private holidays but in the UK thats an above average wage for a total (public and private) holidays of 28 days/year and our cost are higher than in the US..

before you complain about the US or mainland europe try living in the UK on UK pay and conditions...

[Bill_I]

Holiday seasonal work is always challenging because there are deadlines to be met and longer shipping delays. All retail and mail-order outfits and airlines go through the same thing every year. Using temps is a very good way to reduce recruiting expenses. Those who do their jobs well, will be asked to stay on, whiners and slackers can be let go with little concern for health insurance issues and unemployment expenses.

[justgg14]

It's not just about the seasonal workers. Permanent employees in Amazon is only there for the money! Yes, Amazon gives you all the benefits like pension, PRP, healthcare and shares but employees there are suffering. Working conditions in shipping is terrible! The place is cold and you have to load lorries non stop and they don't care whether you are short or tall, they still expect you to pick up heavy items coming from the conveyor belts. In hot weather, you sweat like mad, in cold weather, you freeze to death.

No Union can get in in Amazon, if you do, they will find a way to sack you. If you get 3 fatal errors in packing or whatever department you are in, then you will have to go for counselling which leads to dismissal.

[justgg14]

if you are off because one of your children or family is ill, you still get a a point. 3 points leads to disciplinary hearing and loss of PRP

[justgg14]

i wonders the managers there who seem to go out and smoke all the time can reach the targets they expect from their employees.