A group of fulfilment centre managers at Amazon has called on MPs to investigate allegations that the heavy workload is having a big impact on their mental health
Online giant Amazon has been accused of placing managers in its UK warehouses under such pressure some have suffered breakdowns.
In an open letter to bosses, a group claims a “crisis” has led to them having to work more than 60 hour weeks, despite contracts stating they do 40 hours.
It says: “This sustained pressure is having a severe and measurable impact on our mental health. Several members of our group have personally experienced stress-related issues, and we have witnessed colleagues break down under the strain.”
The letter, a copy or which has been passed to the Mirror, comes as Amazon gears up for the busy Black Friday discount event, and then the run-up to Christmas.
The US heavyweight, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has long faced numerous allegations, which it has denied, about working conditions in its vast fulfilment centres.
The memo from an unknown number of operations and area managers was sent to several UK executives, including country boss John Boumphrey. It alleges that the expectations placed on managers risk breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, and the Working Time Directive.
“Although our contracts specify a 40-hour, four day work week, the reality is we must work on our scheduled days off simply to keep pace,” the say. “During peak and high volume events (sales and mid-October to the end of December) this expands to five 14-hour days, resulting in weekly totals that can easily exceed 60 hours”.
The letter also claims Amazon had dropped a question on its internal employee survey that asked “Do you feel stressed at work?” It also alleges that there has been an increased number of managers leaving the business. “We are formally placing this on record to ensure that you cannot claim you were unaware of this crisis,” it adds. "The experiences documented in this letter are not isolated incidents; they are systemic issues that affect us all."
Amanda Gearing, senior organiser at the GMB union, said: “These revelations lay bare the reality for workers at all levels of Amazon. For managers to take the risk of sending a letter like this goes to show just how desperate staff are to make Amazon a better place to work.
“As Black Friday looms, Amazon must be transparent with the public and customers about how they plan to deal with this. GMB members know that only a union, free to operate and represent our members, can fix the problems at Amazon’s Now we’re calling on the Government’s powerful Business and Trade Select Committee to demand answers from company top brass.”
MPs on the committee, which has previously taken evidence from Amazon, have written to the company with a number of question in light of the fresh allegations. They include how Amazon measures employee well-being, and what changes have been made to such information recording in the past year, what Amazon’s systems are for tracking working hours, and what is the turnover rate for managers working in Amazon UK warehouses.
Amazon said: “We pride ourselves in providing a positive, progressive and safe working environment for all our employees. Of course, as a responsible employer, we’re investigating the claims made in the letter, and will continue to work with our employees as and when they suggest areas of improvement to us.”