The pressures faced by the staff of Amazon in France are unacceptable, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated on Thursday This statement comes after the unions mentioned that the said workers had faced non-payment if they stopped due to the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak.
Many employees had protested in France on Wednesday calling the e-commerce giant from the United States to stop operations or make it easier for the workers to stay away during the pandemic. "These pressures are unacceptable, we'll let Amazon know," Le Maire said to France Inter radio station, after being asked to comment on Amazon's attitude toward its workers.
Amazon's employees in France not happy
Retailers across France were ordered shut over the past weekend in measures to control the disease, with only stores providing food and other basic goods or services allowed to operate. Online deliveries are still allowed, however. At an Amazon warehouse and shipping center at Saran just outside Orleans, a city south of Paris, some 250-300 workers started protests this week, gathering outside and calling for its closure.
Amazon representatives were not immediately available for comment on Thursday. But in a statement on Wednesday about operations in France, the company said it was adhering to all sanitary guidelines as it prioritized essential products such as household staples and hygiene and medical supplies. One source close to Amazon said the company did not recognize the right for workers to walk out under current circumstances given it was strictly applying sanitary protocols.
(With agency inputs)
