GMB slams Amazon over robots in fulfilment centres

The GMB trade union has accused Amazon of being in denial about its safety record as a new report claimed that accidents increase in warehouses with robots.

The Center for Investigative Reporting said serious injuries are 50% higher for fulfilment centres that have robots than those without.

Earlier this year, an investigation carried out by the GMB under the Freedom of Information Act found that local authorities had received 622 accident reports involving Amazon 50+ UK warehouses over the past three years. The annual total had risen from 152 in 2016-17 to 230 the following year and 240 last year.

In one case, a self-employed contractor at a London warehouse lost consciousness and appeared to stop breathing following a head injury, having attempted to restart work.

The accident investigation report found that sorting baskets had been overfilled and that “the main root cause of this incident was failing to provide a safe working environment”.

Mick Rix, GMB National Officer, comments: “We have consistently called on Amazon to sit down with us and have a meaningful discussion about improving their appalling health and safety record. Unfortunately, they seem content to have workers breaking bones and suffering injuries that lead to hundreds of ambulance call outs to their warehouses.”

He adds: “Amazon appears to be in constant denial about what goes on in the fulfilment centres, spending millions of pounds on fluffy TV adverts and robot workers rather than addressing the real problem. This 21st century company’s attitude to worker safety is no different to a Victorian mill owner.”

Amazon did not respond to our request for comment.

BREAKING NEWS: Amazon has said that 19,816 of its 1.37 million US frontline workers contracted the coronavirus this year, or 1.44% of the total, a disclosure sought by labour advocates who have criticised its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The company has kept its facilities open throughout the pandemic to meet a surge in demand for online shopping.