© Reuters. The Amazon logo is seen at the company’s distribution center in Lorwyn Planck, northern France, on January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
Martin Coulter
LONDON (Reuters) – A British parliamentary committee said on Tuesday after at least one member expressed concern that he may have given “misleading” testimony about the treatment of warehouse workers. Amazon (NASDAQ:) plans to discuss firing senior executives, the spokesperson said.
The question is whether Amazon uses tracking technology in its UK warehouses primarily to monitor productivity (an accusation Amazon has repeatedly denied), or, as the company says, Is it being used to promote worker safety?
An Amazon spokesman strongly denied that European policy chief Brian Palmer had misled the commission.
Palmer testified before Congress’ Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Selection Committee on November 15 as part of a broader panel on technology in the workplace.
In response to a question about workplace surveillance from the chairman of the committee, Palmer said it’s primarily used to monitor goods, not people. safety. ”
Palmer also told lawmakers that Amazon continues to “outperform the industry” on employee safety, and that warehouse workers will be able to meet performance targets through “online tools available to all employees.” said to be easily accessible.
In a December 2 letter seen by Reuters, London-based workers advocacy group Foxglove called on the committee to urge transparency in the use of tracking tools, Amazon’s performance on safety, and worker performance targets. Disputed Palmer’s statement regarding It cited legal documents related to the US lawsuit and testimony from five warehouse workers in the UK.
Andy Macdonald, a member of the committee and an opposition Labor MP for Middlesborough, expressed concerns about Palmer’s testimony in writing with the group’s chairman, Labor MP Darren Jones, after seeing the Foxglobe letter.
“I am very unhappy with his testimony,” McDonald told Reuters.
A spokesperson for the 11-member commission said it plans to discuss Foxglove’s allegations on Tuesday and would consider removing Palmer in Congress when Reuters questioned Jones. Other members of the committee did not respond to requests for comment.
Reuters has no independent evidence that Palmer misled the Commission. Palmer declined to comment.
An Amazon spokesperson said Amazon uses CCTV cameras “to ensure the safety of its employees and the security of its products.” Amazon has systems in place to recognize outstanding employee performance and encourage coaching for those who aren’t meeting their goals, the spokesperson said.
An Amazon spokesperson said, “It is wrong to suggest that the use of these standard business practices leads to employee surveillance.
Labor MP Justin Madders, who is in charge of protecting employment rights, told Reuters he would introduce legislation to protect workers from surveillance if he wins the next UK general election. The incident comes as Amazon faces accusations from the U.S. Department of Labor for failing to properly record work-related injuries and illnesses at his six warehouses in five states.
In addition to vigorously defending Palmer’s testimony and denying any surveillance activities, Amazon told Reuters that workers in the UK “are, on average, more than 50% less injured than other transportation and warehousing industries.” He highlighted a recent company report stating: