USA: Amazon and Walmart warehouse conditions likened to "slavery", with intense pressure to work faster and high levels of surveillance; incl. co. comments
In April 2024, Oxfam America released a report alleging that Amazon and Walmart deploy excessive surveillance methods and other forms of worker control at their US warehouses. The report is based on findings from a survey of and interviews with workers at both companies. Oxfam alleges that these practices erode workers' rights, negatively impacting health and safety, worker well-being and worker voice. The report highlights the ways in which these practices perpetuate racial, class and gender inequalities in US society.
Conditions in the warehouses were likened by one Amazon worker to "slavery". More than half of workers at both companies reported that they struggle to take bathroom breaks, and roughly three-quarters of both Amazon and Walmart warehouse workers surveyed by Oxfam reported feeling pressure to work faster at least some of the time.
Both companies dispute the report's findings. In statements to the media, Amazon disputed claims that it uses technology to monitor its warehouse workers, while Walmart said the report fails to accurately depict the company's use of technology.