Angry workers confirmed that they were not informed of the deaths of their fellow workers concerning the coronavirus. The coronavirus has taken the life of an Amazon worker from Indiana, as confirmed by Amazon itself.
The total death count of Amazon workers in the online shopping empire is seven, and the surviving workers have not been formally informed of these tragic incidents.
Some workers in Amazon's Indiana branch have to make do with rumors first before actually being informed by Amazon itself after consulting the higher authorities of the company about the pressing issue.
Turning a Blind Eye
It's a known fact that Amazon is one of the wealthiest corporations right now during this health crisis. However, due to this incident, critics say that it could only show that Amazon may have been hiding a few things from the public eye.
According to an article by the Verge, the company has previously fired workers that have protested against being forced to work during the ongoing pandemic.
It is stated in a recent letter that Amazon prioritizes its workers and customers in regards to the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon has established social distancing measures within its physical stores and delivery couriers.
Additionally, Amazon will be hiring 100,000 individuals to be able to cater to everyone's needs for online shopping. Each one of his workers will be monitored regularly for any signs and symptoms of coronavirus and will be insured if ever a case starts up.
The company stated that their top concern is ensuring both the "health" and "safety" of their employees and they also expect to invest an approximate amount of $4 billion from the timeline of April to June due to COVID-related initiatives in order for them to get products to both customers and employees in a safe way.
Speaking Out Against the Silence
Two former tech employees spoke out through Twitter about their severed ties with Amazon. Emily Cunningham, a former tech employee of Amazon, stated in a tweet that Amazon lacks proper sanitation of its work environment. Another former tech employee, Maren Costa, encouraged her former colleagues at Amazon to speak out and not be afraid of the message that Amazon is sending to them.
The promises Amazon has made could have been made in vain as the terminating of loyal workers and hiring a large number of newcomers may not be handled well due to the fact that Amazon is not able to maintain a safe environment within its premises. Jeff Bezos has yet to say something about this issue on the death of several Amazon workers because of the coronavirus.
Although the facility was already cleaned, the next shift came in as usual. For the majority of the IND8 workers, the actual risk feels particularly unwarranted. This is because they are currently processing returned merchandise instead of sending out certain goods to homebound customers. According to the employees themselves, "We're not essential" and continued with the question, "why are we not shut down?"
Amazon remains to be profiting despite the current pandemic as most people are told to avoid going outside, resulting in an increase in the number of deliveries and sales of Amazon since the start of the pandemic. Jeff Bezos is one of those rare people who have increased their net worth even during the coronavirus.
