Amazon has been misrepresenting and lying about the state of health and safety of their site workers, GMB Union exposed. The organization, which represents thousands of workers around the United Kingdom revealed the e-commerce company lied about the status of the health and safety of their employees amid the GMB’s report showing that warehouses and sites of Amazon have made “100s call to ambulance,” highlighting the labor practices of the company that put their workers at risk.
The GMB exposed that Amazon was lying when they said in their website as a response to the union’s report that “according to the U.K. governments Health and Safety Executive RIDDOR, Amazon has 43% fewer injuries on average than other transportation and warehousing companies in the U.K.”
In order to verify the statements from Amazon, GMB reached out to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the U.K., with which the agency said that “it does not recognize” the claims made by the e-commerce company.
“Amazon could get round the table, work with GMB – who represents hundreds of their workers – and make changes to keep their employees safe. Instead, they appear willing to tell barefaced lies to paper over reality and avoid their responsibilities,” said Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary.
“It’s an obvious whopper – it shows the contempt they hold the U.K. taxpayer and their customers in that they thought they wouldn’t get caught. The bottom line is, conditions at Amazon sites are appalling. The reports we get are horrific, and Amazon needs to sort it out ASAP,” he added.
Laura Pidcock, Shadow Minister for Labour, also chimed in saying that Amazon should be ashamed for misrepresenting the state of their employees’ health and safety.
“Amazon should be ashamed of the way it has misrepresented its warehouse workers’ need for emergency treatment. Labour will put power in the hands of workers by establishing a Workers’ Protection Agency that, unlike the current system, will actually enforce rights, standards, and protections – so that every job is a good job,” she said.