On June 7, the Amazon India Workers Association wrote to the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the National Disaster Management Authority, demanding immediate action to protect warehouse workers from extreme heat and poor working conditions. It raised serious concerns about the working conditions at Amazon warehouses. Most workers endure at least 10-12 hour shifts, storing and moving products while walking 15-20 kilometres continuously. They work in tin sheds where temperatures sometimes reach 42 degrees or more.
It is the harsh working conditions, not just the pay, that are so devastating. Most workers get two half-hour breaks but have no place to rest. Walking in extreme heat worsens the situation, causing blisters. They must wear socks, which become uncomfortable when soaked with sweat. Some workers have faced even worse consequences, including dizziness, fainting, and high blood pressure.
This incident is just one of many that reveal the grim reality of the alleged harsh conditions in Amazon warehouses.
No toilet and water breaks for workers till targets are met.
Amazon India’s five warehouses in Manesar, Haryana, have implemented a policy where employees must take an “oath” to abstain from toilet or water breaks until they meet their targets. The target is unloading packages from six trucks, each measuring 24 feet. However, according to a report, a 24-year-old worker who works for ten hours a day, five days a week, earning Rs 10,088 per month, disclosed that even without breaks, including the 30-minute lunch and tea breaks, they could not unload more than four trucks a day.
How can workers achieve their targets when their health is deteriorating? The situation is even worse for menstruating, elderly, or sick women working under such harsh conditions. Workers constantly fear being “blacklisted” and losing their jobs. If they receive three strikes, they are blacklisted, preventing them from working at any Amazon facility in the country.
In the US, workers in customer fulfilment and operations roles earn an average of $820 (Rs 68,513) for a 40-hour week. However, Amazon fulfilment workers in India make about $30.18 (Rs 2,522) a week despite working 50 hours a week.
Unsafe working conditions for women
Amazon operates its warehouses with a machine-like efficiency. The work is often dehumanising, involving rushing across vast spaces, frequent kneeling and bending, and unreasonably high production targets. However, one issue particularly affecting women in Amazon warehouses is access to safe and hygienic sanitation.
Many warehouses lack restroom facilities on-site. If a female worker falls ill, their only option is to use the off-site restroom or locker room. While there is a sick room available, workers are asked to vacate it after just 10 minutes. They endure long shifts of 10-12 hours standing, expected to handle 60 small products or 40 medium-sized products every hour.
Female warehouse workers, often engaged in strenuous physical labour, bear the brunt of the inadequate facilities. The lack of formal government monitoring in these workplaces means that women are left to cope with the absence of safe and adequate toilet facilities. To manage, they resort to limiting their liquid intake before and during their shifts, a practice that can lead to dehydration, particularly in hot or humid weather, and increase the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Male workers also deal with poor sanitation facilities. However, they can relieve themselves in public without facing safety risks. Women cannot do this because of social stigma and the risk of harassment or assault.
Amazon India has a campaign called #SheIsAmazon to increase women’s participation and growth in the workforce. The irony is that although the number of women in Amazon’s workforce is on the rise, the company still fails to provide sufficient and necessary toilet facilities for them. The poor provision of safe toilets for female workers shows a strong bias against women fully participating in the workplace.
Alarming conditions at Amazon warehouses: The final thoughts
While Amazon often introduces initiatives, especially on Women’s Day, they mostly focus on women from privileged or upper-middle-class backgrounds. Women and workers from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to be overlooked, and there hasn’t been much improvement. Issues like sexism, misogyny, and poor safety are still prevalent.
Families in poverty often prioritise sending their sons to school instead of their daughters. This lack of education reduces the chances of good jobs for underprivileged women, leading to fewer opportunities for stable incomes. These underprivileged women who end up in physically demanding roles, like Amazon warehouse workers, see little hope for improvement due to tokenistic practices by companies. If empowerment initiatives are introduced, they must be accessible to all women and workers regardless of their education level or socioeconomic status.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content, which we define broadly to include media, policies, law, and history—encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and gender-queer individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
