Amazon’s Rugeley site ‘one of most dangerous’ in Britain
Members of the GMB union have protested outside an Amazon depot in Staffordshire, describing it as “one of the most dangerous places to work in Britain”.
Figures show there were 115 ambulance call-outs to the firm’s Rugeley site in the last three years. Incidents included major trauma, pregnancy and maternity problems, strokes and electric shocks.
The firm told BBC News that the site was a “safe place to work” and that most injuries were “not work-related”.
Amazon Services UK employs about 1,800 staff at Rugeley.
A Freedom of Information request by the GMB to West Midlands Ambulance Service detailed 24 incidents of chest pain, two electric shocks and 10 cases of trauma among call-outs received between 2015 and 2017.
Meanwhile, a GMB members testimony reveals a woman in late pregnancy was allegedly forced to stand for ten hours a day, while a recent meeting of MP’s into the Gig Economy was recently told by an Amazon worker about a woman who had a miscarriage as a result of the continuous pressure to work and hit targets.
Amazon said the call-outs in Rugeley were “predominantly associated with personal health events and are not work-related”.
In the case of pregnant workers, it said if an employee’s health or that of the child was at risk it would “vary the employee’s conditions”.
It also urged people to take a public tour of its centres.
Rebecca Mitchell, GMB regional organiser, said: “The stories we here from inside Amazon Rugeley are nothing short of disgusting.
“Hundreds of ambulance call outs, pregnant women telling us they are forced to stand for ten hours a day, pick, stow, stretch and bend, pull heavy carts and walk miles – we’ve even heard of a woman miscarrying at work.
“Amazon Rugeley must be one of the most dangerous places to work in Britain.
“Yet the company keep burying their head in the sand and claiming nothing is wrong – even in the face of cast iron proof.
“These issues need tackling and we’re asking the company to meet with us to help improve the conditions for their workforce.”
Jack Dromey, MP for Birmingham Erdington, said:“A number of my constituents work at the Amazon site in Rugeley and some of the press stories of ambulance call-outs and worker mis-treatment at the warehouse are truly shocking. Amazon must hear the voice of its workforce.
“I urge Amazon to build a working relationship with the GMB based on formal recognition as that will be crucial to tackling issues and concerns in the workplace, in the mutual interest of employees and the employer.”
