Protesters demonstrate outside an Amazon warehouse in New York on May 1, 2020 (STEPHANIE KEITH)<\/i><\/p>\n
New York (AFP) – An Amazon worker at a warehouse in New York where employees called for greater coronavirus safety measures has died of COVID-19, the e-commerce giant said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of an associate at our site in Staten Island, NY,” Amazon spokesperson Lisa Levandowski said in a statement emailed to AFP.<\/p>\n
“His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues,” she added.<\/p>\n
Amazon has become a lifeline for consumers facing lockdowns and restrictions around the world, and the company is in the process of adding some 175,000 new employees to cope with surging demand.<\/p>\n
But the company has also faced protests from warehouse workers and activists who claim Amazon has failed to do enough to keep them safe.<\/p>\n
More than a dozen demonstrators, including employees and activists, protested outside the Staten Island warehouse last week.<\/p>\n
In March, New York Attorney General Letitia James called for an investigation after Amazon fired employee Chris Smalls after he organized a walkout of workers at the warehouse.<\/p>\n
Smalls claimed the company was failing to take precautions to protect warehouse staff from COVID-19, and said that between 50 and 60 employees at the facility had contracted the illness.<\/p>\n
Amazon said Smalls was fired after he went to work after contracting coronavirus, in a violation of quarantining rules.<\/p>\n
Amazon insists it has invested to protect staff and says the rate of infection at the Staten Island facility is significantly below the community rate.<\/p>\n
New York is the worst-hit state in the country, with over 320,000 declared cases and around 20,000 deaths.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Tim Bray, an Amazon vice president, said he had resigned in protest at company sacking three staff who spoke out against treatment in warehouses.<\/p>\n
In France, Amazon has been locked in a battle with labor unions which say not enough was done to mitigate contagion risk for staff working in close proximity to process a flood of orders amid the nationwide lockdown.<\/p>\n
France’s labor ministry said it had denied a request by Amazon for emergency funds to pay employees during the coronavirus crisis after the US behemoth shut its warehouses following a court order to sell only essential items.<\/p>\n
Disclaimer:<\/b> Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Protesters demonstrate outside an Amazon warehouse in New York on May 1, 2020 (STEPHANIE KEITH) New York (AFP) – An Amazon worker at a warehouse in New York where employees called for greater coronavirus safety measures has died of COVID-19, the e-commerce giant said Tuesday. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of an associate…<\/p>\n