Is Amazon UK a Bad Santa?

The conditions cited in the article remind me of those I've seen in investigative reports of sweatshops in countries in countries like Bangladesh. I'm sure you have seen those, or I hope you have. Sweatshops making goods for Wal-Mart for example. An undercover Sunday Times reporter took a temporary job with Amazon after a tip, so it would seem they have first-hand knowledge.

While the employees at Amazon UK are not paid the ridiculous wages of countries like Bangladesh ($0.20 / hour in the above linked Dateline story), they Times cited the following which sound eerily similar.

• Employees are given only one break of 15 minutes and another of 20 minutes per eight-hour shift and told they have to get permission to go to the restroom.

• No sick leave, even if the worker has a legitimate doctor’s note. Taking a day off sick, even with a note, results in a penalty point. A worker with six points faces dismissal.

• Made to work a mandatory 10 1/2 hour overnight shift at the end of a five-day week. The overnight shift runs from Saturday evening to 5 AM on Sunday, which means they have to work every day of the week.

• Quotas for the number of items to be picked or packed in an hour are so high that even a manager described them as “ridiculous”. An example given was packing Xbox games consoles: a target of 140 / hour.

• Bonus schemes that penalize employees if any member of their group fails to hit their quota.

• Made to walk up to 14 miles a shift to collect items for packing.

Amazon UK didn't even bother denying it to the Times; rather, they tried to justify if (without admitting to it), as Allan Lyall, Vice President of EU Operations for Amazon said:

"Every single member of the Amazon.co.uk workforce, be that a temporary picker in Marston Gate, a permanent packer in Gourock, a customer service representative in Cork or a product manager in our Slough head office, is currently working flat out to ensure that our millions of customers receive the products that they have ordered on time this Christmas. Our number one focus is our customers and everyone at Amazon works hard on their behalf. "

At the same time Amazon.com in the U.S. tried to deny the allegations. Amazon spokeswoman Patty Smith told SeattlePI.com:

"Don't believe everything you read! There were many inaccuracies in the U.K. article. Case in point: We don't allow FC (fulfillment center) associates to work more than 6 days a week in any location -- they must have at least 1 day off."

Technically, the Times is still right on the money. Sure, they get from 5 AM Sunday off. So they do only work six days --- sort of.

And what about the rest of it? This saddens me. It's bad enough to read of sweatshop conditions in other third-world countries. That of course, is why companies love globalization: low wages in such countries.

But to read of it in a country like the U.K.? And to note that in America we are being forced into service-level jobs such as these as other jobs are shipped overseas? It's shameful, if this story is true.

What worse: corporations are all about the bottom line. I wouldn't put it past 'em.