GMB slams Amazon coronavirus best practice partnership

The GMB union has hit out at a new tie up between Amazon and the British Chambers of Commerce.

The aim of this is to give advice on how firms can get back to work safely as the coronavirus lockdown eases.

Amazon has never been far from controversy during the outbreak (it has, for instance, been blasted by American comedian, political commentator and television host, Bill Maher and John Oliver, host of HBO's Last Week Tonight show).

Also of interest: Amazon Air boosts aircraft fleet amid coronavirus crisis

Meanwhile, Mick Rix, GMB National Officer, claims that since the start of the pandemic, “Amazon workers have been in fear of being infected by Covid-19 after initially being left to work in packed warehouses, in crowds of 200 to 300 people, without hand sanitiser or personal protection equipment.”

“They only began to take coronavirus seriously after sustained pressure from GMB union, coupled with the closure of a facility in France. For them to be held up as some kind of model of good practice for infection control would be hilarious if it wasn’t deadly serious.”

Better, he argues, to look at companies like Unilever, Bidfood and Bestfood Logistics, who are leading the way with best practice and as a result have bucked the national trend with infection and absence rates.

“The Chambers of Commerce should choose its partners more carefully,” Rix concludes.

Amazon and the British Chambers of Commerce did not respond to our request for comment. You can, however, read about how the former is responding to the coronavirus here.