“Amazon workers protest over normal shifts amid Covid-19 cases”, 19 March 2020

There have been protests at Amazon warehouses in the US, France and Italy after the retail giant tried to run normal shifts despite positive cases of Covid-19. In…New York, a facility was cleared out on Wednesday night for deep cleaning…after an employee tested positive for the virus. However, activists said the company had attempted to begin the 6.45am shift as usual but workers had walked out.

In France, several hundred Amazon workers protested over...insufficient measures to protect their safety. Amazon said it respected “the right of withdrawal…[and had] taken strong measures to ensure the safety of our sites…in strict compliance with the recommendations of the government and local health authorities…”. There have also been reports of workers at…warehouses contracting coronavirus in Spain and Italy, [but]…Amazon has so far decided to keep these facilities open.

[At] Amazon’s Italian logistics hub in Castel San Giovanni called for a strike, accusing their employer of endangering their health and safety. Britain’s GMB Union said UK Amazon [was]…putting “profit before safety”. In [Amazon’s] delivery network,…drivers have expressed concern about minimal supplies for keeping their vehicles clean. Despite the turmoil, investor confidence in Amazon remains high as its position as a lifeline for housebound consumers becomes ever more clear…