Chinese workers at Amazon Echo factory overworked and underpaid, watchdog says
Employees required to work more than 100 hours of overtime a month, in violation of Chinese law, New York-based China Labour Watch says
A watchdog group is calling on Amazon to improve conditions for workers at a factory in central China that makes Echo speakers and Kindle e-readers.
The study offers the first behind-the-scenes glimpse of how Amazon produces voice-activated speakers that cost as little as US$40. And the picture it paints is one of low pay and intense working conditions.
The report said that employees are required to work more than 100 hours of overtime per month, in violation of China’s labour law that limits overtime to 36 hours a month. Also, the factory uses more “dispatch workers” – a term for temporary staff – than is allowed by Chinese law.
Employees do not receive adequate safety training, and are required to arrive at their workstations 10 minutes before their shifts begin, it said, adding that they are not compensated for the extra time.
The report said also that staff dormitories lack adequate safety precautions, such as fire extinguishers.
“All workers are subject to long hours and low wages,” it said. “As wages are low, workers must rely on overtime hours to earn enough to maintain a decent standard of living.”