LONDON — Amazon has issued a statement in response to allegations of poor working conditions at its warehouse in Essex, outside London, where employees are allegedly being asked to fulfill unrealistic daily targets.
“We offer great jobs and a positive environment with opportunities for growth. As with most companies, we expect a certain level of performance,” read the statement.
“Targets are based on previous performance achieved by our workers. Associates are evaluated over a long period of time as we know a variety of things could impact the ability to meet expectations in any given day or hour.”
The statement follows a number of British media reports, which state that workers at Amazon’s facility in Essex are forced to work overtime during the period leading up to Christmas and work an average of 55 hours per week.
According to the Sunday Mirror, a British tabloid paper, an undercover reporter also witnessed workers falling asleep or collapsing and being attended to by ambulance crews, as they could not cope with the targets imposed by their employer.
Reportedly, workers are asked to pack up to 120 items an hour and the target is set to rise to 200 items. Their hourly wages are 8.20 pounds.