According to a recent report, e-commerce giant Amazon refused to close two of its warehouses in Spain despite three confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus amongst its workers. The company has even reportedly added dozens of temporary workers for the facilities.
Business Insider reports that Amazon has confirmed that three cases of Wuhan coronavirus have been found in workers across two of its Spanish warehouses but has ruled out shutting them down, according to a worker. One warehouse based outside Madrid houses 3,000 employees, a worker told Business Insider that two instances of the virus were reported there. The second warehouse is based outside Barcelona and reported one case, with the worker adding that management ruled out shutting down either facility.
According to the worker, the decision to keep the warehouses open angered the local workers’ union the CCOO which stated that it would be taking legal action against Amazon. A union spokesperson told Spanish news website La Información: “They’re putting financial gain before workers’ health.” According to a report in La Información, Amazon is even hiring dozens of temporary workers in the Spanish warehouses.
Amazon told La Información that it is providing support to workers already in quarantine, stating: “The health and safety of our employees is our main concern; we are following the guidelines of local and international health authorities and have implemented a series of preventive health measures in our centers around the world.”
Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of the international UNI Global Union, condemned Amazon’s decision saying in a statement:
Amazon has told its office workers to stay home in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 but, when it comes to the warehouses, the same concern does not seem to apply. When employees in a warehouse test positive, there should be a special effort made to protect the other employees, encourage social distancing and to deep clean the facility. But, instead, the company is bringing in more employees, working at an even faster pace, in order to meet the spike in consumer demand.
Amazon should take every possible measure to prevent the virus’s spread — not cash in on increased hand sanitizer and bottled water sales. Without the necessary precautions, the company could put workers and the broader community at risk.
Amazon instructed office workers in the United States to work from home, however, many contract workers and those performing manual labor are unable to work from home and are left in a much more dangerous situation. Amazon has promised that its logistic workers would receive two weeks of paid sick leave if quarantined and unlimited unpaid time off through March. The company has also established a $25 million “relief fund” for drivers and seasonal workers.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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