The dark side of online shopping during the coronavirus
Rights — di Martina Girola
From Italy to the United States, workers in logistics and distribution are protesting to obtain greater health protections during the coronavirus pandemic.
The dark side of online shopping during the coronavirus
From Italy to the United States, workers in logistics and distribution are protesting to obtain greater health protections during the coronavirus pandemic.
It has now been a month since Italy entered isolation due to the coronavirus epidemic, responsible for the disease Covid-19. In this moment of crisis, where freedom of movement is severely restricted, turning to distribution platforms seems like the perfect solution for having any product delivered directly to one's door. Yet the reality for those working in logistics and delivery is very different.
Ascolta "07. Coronavirus, quando una pandemia apre il decennio più importante per il clima" su Spreaker.
With online shopping, someone still has to move around.
While it is true that buying products online requires no one to leave the house, it is equally true that for those same products to arrive, someone must. We are talking about warehouse workers, delivery drivers, cleaners, canteen staff and security guards, to name but a few. People who have continued to go to work every day and have ensured the continuity of the services offered by their companies. Those companies must guarantee them the necessary health protections so they can work safely even during a pandemic.
That has not always been the case, however. In recent weeks the delivery giant Amazon has been criticised by some of its employees for failing to protect them adequately. The situation has repeated itself in several countries around the world, from Italy to the United States.
The Amazon strikes in Italy
Despite the isolation measures adopted by Italy, postal and delivery services are among those deemed essential and therefore authorised to continue operating, provided they are able to comply with safety measures. But employees at Amazon's hub in Calenzano, near Florence, do not believe the company is protecting them adequately. For this reason, on Monday 30 March they decided to go on strike.
The Filt Cgil union states that "10,000 deliveries a day" are made and that "at the Calenzano site, around 300 workers pass through every day; they are worried and would like to reduce the risks of cross-contamination as much as possible during this coronavirus emergency." A union spokesperson also told the Reuters news agency that "many employees have been forced to wear the same face masks for days instead of receiving new ones" and that Amazon's representatives did not attend a meeting called by the local authorities in Florence to discuss the health emergency.
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For its part, the company released a statement saying it had reduced deliveries and prioritised products considered essential. It also stated that it had provided delivery drivers with hand wipes and sanitiser and had set up a workers' committee to discuss safety measures.
Amazon explains that it has "introduced a series of preventive measures across all logistics centres to safeguard employees. Cleaning operations at sites have been stepped up, minimum safe distancing has been introduced, and couriers have been asked to remain at least one metre from customers when making deliveries. We are also supporting delivery service providers in sanitising their vans."
Amazon employees strike in the United States
Also on Monday 30 March, Amazon employees went on strike outside the company's New York hub, located on Staten Island, south of Manhattan. They accused the company of failing to protect them sufficiently against the threat of coronavirus and took to the streets — strictly keeping their distance from one another and wearing face coverings — to make their voices heard.
"Some people who tested positive continued to work in the building, spreading the virus to hundreds of other workers," wrote Christian Smalls on Twitter, an employee who was apparently dismissed after organising the strike on Staten Island.
Does this look like 6ft social distancing?? Does it look like I’m on 14 day paid quarantine this is my phone I was there every day this past week #Amazon #stopthelies #media if you want TRUTH come to me I have plenty #Facts
Unfounded accusations, according to Amazon US
The company denied the accusations through a statement issued by the Agence France-Presse (Afp) news agency, which reads that they have "taken extraordinary measures to ensure people's safety, tripling the cleaning of spaces, purchasing the necessary safety equipment and modifying internal procedures to ensure the required distancing."
Regarding Smalls's dismissal, Amazon subsequently stated that the man should have been on paid quarantine at the time of the strike and that the reason for his dismissal was precisely the violation of safety rules. This claim was disputed by Smalls himself, who maintains he had been required to work throughout the week.
New York Attorney General Letitia James described Smalls's dismissal as "immoral and inhumane" and called on the National Labor Relations Board, an independent agency of the United States federal government that oversees compliance with labour rights, to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, the company has hired a further 100,000 workers at its logistics centres and is planning to take on another 75,000 to meet growing consumer demand.
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A similar situation in France
On Tuesday 24 March, the first case of coronavirus was recorded at Amazon's hub in Saran, in the Loiret département, in the Loire region of France. Around thirty employees were placed in isolation, but "more than a hundred people had been in contact with that person without being isolated — said Jean-François Bérot, a union official from Solidaires —. There are more than 500 of us here and it is difficult to maintain distances when entering or leaving, in the canteen or during shift changes."
Across France, many employees decided to exercise their right to stay at home, halving the number of people willing to work.
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The company, in addition to reiterating that it had taken all necessary safety measures, announced that it would withhold the pay of anyone who failed to report to work, while offering a two-euro-per-hour pay rise to those who did and promising to double wages in the event of overtime.
The unions immediately objected, explaining that "it is an attractive offer, but it is not worth the cost of a life. It is always the most vulnerable who are exposed — those who fear they will not be able to pay their bills or who are afraid of losing their jobs."
The French economy minister Bruno Le Maire denounced the pressure exerted by Amazon, calling it "unacceptable" during an epidemic.
On Tuesday 14 April, the judicial tribunal of Nanterre ordered the company to limit its activity to essential products across all its French centres and to only the activities of receiving goods, preparing and dispatching orders for food, hygiene and health products". The court documents make it clear that Amazon had failed in its duty to protect the health of its employees. This restriction will be in force for one month.