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Updated April 6th, 2021 at 16:15 IST

Amazon illegally fired employees critical of work conditions: US labour regulators

The US labour regulators on April 5 found that two outspoken Amazon workers, who publicly criticised the company, were illegally fired last year.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Amazon
Image: AP/Unsplash | Image:self
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The US labour regulators on April 5 found that two outspoken Amazon workers, who publicly criticised the company and called on to do more to protect workers and the environment, were illegally fired last year. According to The Associated Press, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa worked at Amazon offices in Seattle and they pushed the firm to do more to reduce its impact on climate change and to better protect warehouse workers from coronavirus. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that Amazon violated the rights of the two workers and also confirmed that it found merit in the case, adding that if Amazon doesn’t settle the case a complaint will be filed, after which a trial could start. Cunningham shared with AP an email from the NLRB that found that Amazon violated the rights. 

Amazon disagrees with NLRB’s findings 

However, the US e-commerce company disagreed with the preliminary findings and said that it fired the employees for repeatedly violating internal policies, and not because they talked publicly about working conditions or sustainability. Amazon said that the firm supports every employee’s right to criticise their employer’s working conditions. However, they added, “that does not come with blanket immunity against our internal policies, all of which are lawful”. 

Now, because of NLRB’s ruling, Amazon could be forced to offer the two employees, Cunningham and Costa, their jobs back, pay them back pay and reimburse them for expenses related to losing their jobs. It worth noting that Cunningham and Costa were user-experience designers at Amazon. They were the two most prominent voices among a group of workers who wanted the company to take more steps to combat climate change and to stop doing business with oil and gas companies. 

The two employees had even held protests and they spoke to the media about their concerns. About a year ago, they had also planned a call between Amazon warehouse and office workers to talk about unsafe conditions in the e-commerce giant’s warehouses. But before that could happen, Amazon fired the two women. 

Cunningham and Costa’s case comes amid a time when Amazon’s treatment of workers has been in the spotlight. As per reports, currently, the votes by Amazon employees in Alabama are being counted to see if a warehouse there will become the first union shop at the e-commerce colossus. Amazon employees in Alabama want the company to pay workers more, give them more break time and be treated with respect. 

(Image: AP/Unsplash)
 

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Published April 6th, 2021 at 16:15 IST

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