Amazon delivery staff to go on national stir

Abids: The delivery workers of Amazon will be going on a nation-wide strike, demanding hike in their payment rates and provision of health insurance for the workers.

The Telangana Gig And Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) on Wednesday announced that all delivery workers of Amazon are going to hold a national-strike.

TGPWU alleged that following Amazon's decision which made it mandatory for its customers to have KYC (Know your customer), the parcels are being piled up at the Amazon headquarters in different Cities across India.

"There are around 10,000 to 15,000 delivery boys working for Amazon in multiple cities. Each (person) works for about eight to 10 hours and delivers over 80 parcels in a day," added the release.

Speaking about the issue, Shaik Salauddin, National General Secretary of the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), said "it will be the first strike to affect Amazon's entire logistics operations in the country."

He also claimed that new delivery workers at Amazon earn Rs 10,000 per month, subject to several conditions imposed by the company. Salauddin further alleged that the e-commerce website has reduced its per parcel rate in the interim.

Salahuddin said that delivery staff at Amazon used to earn around Rs. 20,000 earlier, as their earning per parcel was higher. "Amazon warehouse and delivery workers in the country have gone on a 24-hour strike to call on the company to make changes to workloads, shifts, and benefits," he added.

Reacting to the TGPWU demands, an Amazon spokesperson said that there are no disruptions in any of their delivery operations and their partners continue to work with the company to deliver on time to Amazon customers. "We place value in having regular conversations with our partners, listening to their feedback, and are addressing them effectively to continuously improve their experience," he added.