Amazon paid 1.9 million US dollars (1.75 million euros) to more than 700 contract workers in Saudi Arabia, including as compensation for unlawful recruiting fees, the online giant announced on Friday. In October, Amnesty International accused Amazon of a series of abuses against workers in the country, prompting the US company to launch an investigation.
“We have found cases where contract workers were required by Saudi recruiters and employment companies to pay fees, including hiring fees and other costs,” Amazon said in a statement on its website.
Amazon pays 1.75 million euros to workers
The investigation uncovered other violations of company policies, including “substandard accommodations, irregularities in contracts and wages, and delays in processing employee complaints,” it said. As a result, Amazon paid $1.9 million (€1.75 million) in compensation to over 700 contract workers,” the statement continued.
According to the London-based human rights organization, the Amnesty report is based on the accounts of 22 men from Nepal who have worked in warehouses in Riyadh or the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah since 2021. It found that migrant workers employed in Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia suffered from “appalling” living conditions, workplace safety risks and wage theft.
Amnesty accused recruiters and two Saudi employment companies of deceiving migrant workers who thought they were being hired directly by Amazon and took out large loans to pay hiring fees.
Employment companies have also threatened to impose heavy fines on workers who want to end their contracts, leaving them stranded in the Gulf state, the human rights group said.
Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice, called Amazon’s refunds an “important step” but said more needed to be done. “Compensation should also be extended to hundreds of other workers contracted by Amazon who have already left the company or the country,” he said in a statement.
It’s likely they faced similar abuses, including deception, wage theft and hefty recruiting fees. They too deserve justice and compensation.(AFP)
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.com.