The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the secretary of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, demanding a report within a week on whether the work conditions at Amazon India’s warehouses were adequate and whether they were violating labor laws.
The notice was issued following media reports of workers made to work in poor conditions and being denied toilet breaks. The news report highlighted a case where a young worker at Amazon India’s Manesar warehouse was told at the end of a half-hour tea break that they should not take breaks to visit the toilet or even drink water until they had unloaded parcels from six 24-feet long trucks. Workers mentioned that it is humanly impossible to unload packages from more than four trucks even if they work without breaks. It was also revealed that there were no restrooms for women members of the workforce and some of them stood for up to nine hours while checking products.
The company, however, maintains that it has not stopped its workers from going on informal breaks to drink water, talk to their manager, or go to the restroom. Amazon India has issued a statement, saying that it prioritizes the safety and well-being of its employees, and that its fulfillment centers/warehouses are designed keeping in mind the comfort and safety of the workers. The company also revealed that its buildings have devices to measure the heat index and that during summer, the heat/humidity is measured constantly so that work can be suspended for the periods when the humidity or heat is beyond the comfortable limit. Additionally, the workers are kept comfortable with the use of fans, spot coolers, and adequate ventilation.
According to NHRC, five warehouses have been accused of going against the rules stated in the Factories Act, 1948.
