KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 10
Contracted workers in Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia were deceived by recruitment agents and labour supply companies, cheated of their earnings, housed in appalling conditions and prevented from finding alternative employment or leaving the country, Amnesty International said today.
A new report 'Don't worry, it's a branch of Amazon' shows how Amazon failed to prevent contracted workers in Saudi Arabia from being repeatedly exposed to human rights abuses, despite receiving complaints directly from workers about their treatment over a lengthy period of time. In many cases, it is highly likes that the abuses suffered by workers amount-ed to human trafficking, given the deception that occurred during recruitment, and the exploitation endured once they were there.
"The workers thought they were seizing a golden opportunity with Amazon but instead ended up suffering abuses which left many traumatised.
We suspect hundreds more endured similar appalling treatment. Many of those we interviewed suffered abuses so severe that they are likely to amount to human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Economic and Social Justice. "Amazon could have prevented and ended this appalling suffering long ago but its processes failed to protect these contracted workers in Saudi Arabia from shocking abuses. Amazon should urgently compensate all those who have been harmed and ensure this never happens again.
"The government of Saudi Arabia also bears heavy responsibility.
It must urgently investigate these abuses and reform its labour system to guarantee workers their fundamental rights, including being able to freely change employers and leave the country without conditions."
The report is based on information collected from 22 men from Nepal who worked in Amazon's warehouses in Riyadh or Jeddah between 2021 and 2023, and who were employed by two third-party labour supply contractors - Abdullah Fahad Al-Mutairi Support Services Co. (Al-Mutairi), or Basmah Al-Musanada Co. for Technical Support Services (Basmah).
Names of interviewees have been changed to protect their identity. Amnesty International has shared details of the investigation with Amazon, Al-Mutairi and Basmah, as well as the Saudi Arabian government. Amazon's responses can be accessed here. The others have not responded.
To secure work at Amazon's facilities in Saudi Arabia, the interviewees, with one exception, paid recruitment agents in Nepal an average of US$1,500. Some took high-interest loans to pay the fees. During the recruitment process, the agents, sometimes in collusion with the Saudi Arabian labour supply companies, deceived many of the workers into believing they would be employed directly by Amazon.
Some workers began to suspect that Amazon was not their direct employer when they received their contracts and documentation just hours before they were due to fly, but having already paid recruitment fees felt they had no choice but to continue.
Others realised only after arriving in Saudi Arabia.
In the warehouses, workers said they were repeatedly required to lift very heavy items, ran to meet gruelling performance targets, were constantly monitored, and not allowed to rest adequately.
In some cases, this resulted in injuries and illness. One worker said he suffered a suspected broken arm and was signed off work for a month by a doctor, but because the supply company denied workers sick pay, he felt that he had to resume work within two weeks.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 11, 2023, of The Himalayan Times
