Secular Café: Slave labour at Amazon German warehouse?

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Slave labour at Amazon German warehouse? Feb 17th 2013, 08:58 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21488816 Quote: Germany is demanding explanations from the online retail giant Amazon after a TV documentary showed seasonal workers being harassed by security guards. A TV documentary by state broadcaster ARD said employees' rooms were searched, they were frisked at breakfast and constantly watched... ...The film showed the living and working conditions of agency workers brought in to help with the Christmas rush, principally at an Amazon warehouse in Bad Hersfeld, in the state of Hesse. It showed staff living quarters in cramped holiday accommodation a long way from the Amazon warehouse, which could only be reached by an unreliable bus service. Many of the temporary workers came from Spain and Poland. Workers from outside Germany were shown as receiving the worst harassment from security guards from a private firm, Hensel European Security Services (Hess). Hess was under contract to an employment agency, not to Amazon itself. Meanwhile, in Britain: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21444710 Quote: A union has held protests outside nine sites run by online retailer Amazon in a row over workers' pay and conditions. The GMB claimed the firm was failing to pay corporation tax and was not offering a "living wage" to employees. Protests were held outside sites at Doncaster, Swansea, Glenrothes, Gourock, Hemel Hempstead, Peterborough, Milton Keynes, Rugeley and Slough. Amazon said it paid "all applicable taxes" and offered a "competitive package" to all its employees.

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