'We will not take breaks, we will not stop to drink water'

Amazon workers in India claim they were forced to pledge to keep going till their targets were met during a 50C heatwave

- SHAHANA YASMIN

Amazon workers in an Indian warehouse were allegedly made to pledge they would not take any breaks, including to drink water or go to the bathroom, until they met their targets, even as the country reeled under an unprecedented heatwave. As temperatures soared past 50C, workers at Amazon India’s Manesar warehouse, located in the northern state of Haryana, said they were finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the hazardous working conditions they claim were being ignored by the management.

One worker, who requested anonymity, described an incident on 16 May when warehouse employees were allegedly asked to work continuously without breaks in order to meet their targets.

“That day, we struggled to meet the target that was set, which was higher than usual; perhaps a sale was on, so products had to be moved to a different godown the same day. Around 4.30pm, one manager urged us to work harder, and then another manager instructed us to hold our arms out and pledge, ‘We will not take any breaks, we will not stop to drink water or go to the bathroom until we meet our targets.’”

In a statement to The Independent, Amazon maintained that the safety and wellbeing of their employees was paramount. “All Amazon sites have been equipped with heat index devices that constantly monitor changes in temperature,” the company said.

The worker admitted there were fans and large coolers at the warehouse but described their impact as “negligible”. “Walk just 10 steps away and you can barely feel any difference. The areas where we work are typically between 30-35C on any given day,” she said. She said she spent her days organising products from 8.30am to 6.30pm, with only two 30-minute breaks.