John Oliver blasts Amazon for treatment of staff during coronavirus outbreak

John Oliver, host of HBO's Last Week Tonight show, has hit out at Amazon in a segment involving the coronavirus pandemic and the essential workforce.

Last month, the e-commerce giant debuted a commercial dedicated to the “Amazon retail heroes on the floor, in the air, or behind the wheel.”

“It’s hard to say what I like least about that,” Oliver said “Maybe it’s the schmaltzy piano music, maybe it’s Amazon patronisingly claiming they care about the well being of their ‘heroes,’ or maybe it’s just the fact that, out of context, the Amazon smile logo is a quick sketch of an uncircumcised dick. It's probably a combination of all three.”

"If you feel like you are not working in safe conditions, then it is even more infuriating to know the items you are packing can sometimes be anything but essential,” he added.

He then showed a news clip of an employee who was upset that his warehouse was still in operation even though it was completely out of "essential" items. "If we are depending on those workers for our survival and to a certain extent, our comfort, we owe them a lot in return," Oliver commented.

He also addressed paid sick leave, which US Congress recently mandated temporarily for smaller companies.

"Amazon's initial policy would give two weeks paid time off for anyone whose been diagnosed with Covid or who has been quarantined, which sounds good, but there is a big problem with requiring a positive test," Oliver said.

Former employee Chris Smalls claimed it was near impossible to get a test in New York. He was later fired for leading a walkout over work safety concerns at a Staten Island warehouse.

"And Amazon will say they have now made their sick leave policy more lenient for their 'heroes,' which is true. What's also true is that only came after they got letters from 14 state attorneys general saying their initial policy was inadequate to protect the public health."

Amazon recently posted an update to its blog citing the numerous safety measures it has offered employees, including personal protective equipment, temperature checks, social distancing guidelines, and other process updates meant to keep workers healthy.