Packers Amazon: 'We look like slaves'

tilbury - Warehouse employees of webshop Amazon have the feeling of leaving their workplace as a zombie. Toilet visits are clocked, infeasible targets are imposed and people fall asleep standing. These are the findings of Mirror investigative journalist Alan Selby, who went undercover for five weeks working in the notorious warehouse in Tilbury, in Essex, British.

The British investigative journalist reports that he is only waiting in a closed metal cage for a robotic arm to hand him a new pallet with packages. 'I have 9 seconds to pick up an article and process it so that it is ready for shipment. I have a target of 120 items per hour. '

Cameras keep an eye on Alan's movements and a screen continuously confronts him with his 'packing statistics': parcels per hour, and how long he needs for a package. Target not met? Then there is a risk of dismissal.

In addition, sitting is out of the question. His colleague asked himself: 'Why can not we sit down when it is quiet? We are people, not slaves or animals. '

With an undercover camera (bought at Amazon) he recorded how staff fell asleep, completely exhausted from the 55-hour working week with working days from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm. During the busy Christmas week, his colleague became so overworked that she became unwell and had to be treated by ambulance personnel.

Meanwhile, employees in Italy and Germany have ceased to work for higher wages and better working conditions.