More than 300 Amazon employees are planning a ‘mass call out’ starting today and will continue throughout the week in order to protest against the unsafe work conditions and demand better protection for workers who continue to come to work during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The protest is scheduled for several days since the workers have to report to their shifts which are on different days and at different times.
The workers from at least 50 facilities have signed up to be a part of this protest, confirmed the United for Respect, a worker rights group.
The protest precedes an online strike by Amazon coders and engineers, which is slated for later this week.
The workers have also asked the online retail giant to ‘immediately close down’ any facilities that report positive COVID-19 cases and to give testing and two weeks of pay for workers during the duration.
They are also demanding that Amazon provide paid sick leave, guarantee healthcare for all its associates, eliminate rate-based quotas ‘that make hand-washing and sanitising impossible’ and ensure that it would not retaliate against workers who speak out.
The call by the workers has also sparked action from the firm’s corporate employees who will be hosting a ‘virtual sick out’ on 24 April asking Amazon to reinstate the fired workers.
Earlier, a spokesperson from Amazon had highlighted the number of steps the online major has taken to protect warehouse workers during the pandemic. Amazon had announced it was distributing millions of masks to employees and implementing temperature checks at all of its US and European facilities.
The Seattle-based retail firm has seen unprecedented demand in the recent times. The share prices have escalated since the beginning of the crisis. The company has also announced that it will recruit 175,000 new employees in the US to help with the rising demand.
