Government must stand up to Amazon on workers’ rights, says TUC
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NEW ANALYSIS reveals up to £630 million of government money spent
on contracts with Amazon in recent years Union body says ministers
must use purchasing power to put pressure on company to “level up”
working conditions TUC says “long awaited” employment bill is also
a “golden opportunity” to clamp down on bad corporate...Request free trial
The TUC has today (Monday) called on government to use its purchasing power to stand up to Amazon on workers’ rights. The call comes as joint TUC and GMB union research reveals that Amazon was awarded national and local government contracts with a lifetime value of up to £630 million between 2015 and 2020. The research shows that since the start of the pandemic in 2020 alone, Amazon has been granted contracts worth over £23 million, including contracts related to test and trace valued at £8.3 million. Tomorrow is Amazon ‘Prime Day’. Unions say this is one of the most dangerous days for Amazon workers as they are pushed to meet relentless demand caused by heavy discounts. Reports of employment practices at Amazon describe gruelling conditions, unrealistic productivity targets, surveillance, bogus self-employment and a refusal to recognise or engage with unions unless forced. According to GMB Union, between 2015 to 2018, ambulances were called out 600 times to 14 Amazon warehouses in Britain due to workers collapsing in unsafe, intense working conditions. Huge public sector spending The research, undertaken by Tussell Ltd for TUC and GMB Union, shows that central government procurement accounts for the majority of contracts with the tech giant:
The majority of these have been awarded since 2017 and are for Amazon Web Services (cloud related infrastructure and services). A notable exception is the YPO framework agreement worth up to £400 million for the creation of a digital marketplace for the 13 local authorities that are covered by the YPO. Employment bill The TUC says the ‘long-awaited’ employment bill is a ‘golden opportunity’ for UK government to clamp down on the poor working practices rife in workplaces like Amazon, and to strengthen trade unions and collective bargaining. The union body is calling for:
The union body says that ministers must take a lead and insist that Amazon improve working conditions for staff – many of whom have been key workers during the pandemic. TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
Amazon’s growth in the UK continues. The firm recently announced that it will create 7000 jobs in the UK to meet increased demand of warehouse and distribution jobs. Trade Unions across Europe, including UK unions GMB, Usdaw and CWU have recently called on the European commission to open an investigation into Amazons ‘potentially illegal’ surveillance of workers union activities. Mick Rix, GMB National Officer, said:
Editors note
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