Several walkouts and protests have drawn
attention to fear and discontent among
low-wage workers on the front lines of the
pandemic, particularly those packing and
delivering groceries and other essentials.
In the French case, the court stopped short
of halting all activity at Amazon’s six French
warehouses, as unions had sought.
But the court found that despite repeated
visits from labor inspectors, Amazon didn’t do
enough to enforce social distancing, to ensure
that turnstiles and locker rooms were virus-
free, or to increase cleaning of its warehouses.
Unions say one worker infected with the virus
is in intensive care.
Amazon France said the company « disagrees
with the decision” and is “evaluating its
implications for our French logistical operations.”
“Nothing is more important than the security
of our staff,” it said in a statement.
Amazon dominates the online delivery market
in France, with 431 million euros in sales in 2018
and more than 10,000 employees, and has seen
demand explode in in the U.S. and around the
world since virus confinement measures were
imposed. France’s lockdown began a month ago
and is set to last at least until May 11.
In New York last month, Amazon fired a worker
who organized a walkout to demand greater
virus protection, saying the employee himself
flouted distancing rules and put others at risk.
The Seattle-based company said it has taken
aggressive steps to protect its employees
from the virus, including cleaning and
distancing measures.