The Amazon logo on a tablet, in Paris, on February 5, 2019. – Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
Amazon engineers and coders called for a strike on April 24 on Thursday to protest the dismissal of some of their colleagues who took a stand against the group and to obtain better working conditions for warehouse workers.
“We want to tell Amazon that we are fed up with all this, layoffs, attempts to silence, pollution, racism and climate change,” said ex-employee Maren Costa of the company, according to a press release from the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ) group.
Urged to reduce its impact on the environment
She made her remarks Thursday during an online meeting with nearly 400 employees, organized by the EYCS, which pushes the giant of e-commerce to make more efforts to reduce its impact on the environment. Adding: “We therefore ask tech employees not to log into their workstation on Friday, April 24”.
AECJ leaders Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham were dismissed last week, officially “for repeatedly violating the rules,” according to a spokesperson for the group, quoted by the American channel CNBC.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request from AFP.
1 / Amazon fired tech workers after we invited employees to an internal virtual event to hear directly from our warehouse coworkers and @NaomiAKlein! Amazon employees: our Thurs event is ON. Since Amazon censored this event, you must RSVP here: https://t.co/AMOKOx71r5
– Amazon Employees For Climate Justice (@AMZNforClimate) April 14, 2020
Containment management also in the viewfinder
Thursday’s meeting also focused on working conditions in warehouses and logistics centers, which have been under stress for weeks because of the Covid-19 pandemic and containment. The needs are such that Amazon has undertaken to recruit 175,000 people in the United States.
But some employees complained about the lack of sanitary protections. According to the press group’s press release, a Chicago employee accused the group of withholding information.
“The products for which I risk my life are far from essential”
“Amazon has confirmed that there are two cases in our warehouse. We are scared. Amazon makes it impossible to know who else may have been in contact with the contaminated people, “he said during the meeting, according to remarks reported by the EYCS.
“Amazon says that we provide an essential service, but the products for which I risk my life every day are far from essential. I pack hair straighteners, Easter decorations and ping pong balls! ”Said a Polish employee, according to the EYCS.
Two weeks ago, Amazon announced the distribution of millions of masks and the implementation of temperature controls on all its American and European sites.
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