An Amazon boss has admitted ‘monitoring’ workers under a grilling from MPs.
An Amazon boss has admitted ‘monitoring’ workers under a grilling from MPs.
Giving evidence to a Business Select Committee today [Tuesday 15 November 2022] Brian Palmer, an Amazon policy chief, repeatedly said surveillance of workers was not the ‘primary focus’ of their monitoring systems.
But committee chair Darren Jones MP asked Mr Palmer why an older constituent was let go by Amazon after ‘the system said he wasn’t being productive enough’.
‘I don’t want you to comment on individual cases because that’s a cop out answer’, Mr Jones added. ‘Do you track then productivity of your workers ion the warehouses? Yes or No?’ .
Mr Palmer said: ‘Yes’.
Laurence Turner, GMB Head of Research and Policy, said:
“Amazon’s misleading account of workers’ treatment rightly fell apart today.
“Amazon’s attempt to convince MPs that its aggressive monitoring was mainly used to track goods, ultimately Mr Palmer was forced to admit it is, in fact, used to track staff.
“GMB members in Amazon have said for years that constant monitoring and punishing targets are leading to injuries and making many lives a misery.
“Now the company has finally admitted the problem, it’s time to address it.
“But they can’t do this on their own. It’s time for the company to get round the table with GMB Union so we can work together to make Amazon as safe and happy place to work.”
