Amazon’s UK sales increased by 51% in 2020 — a revenue of £20bn — as the the pandemic accelerated consumers’ move to the online economy. But how much pressure has the increased demand put on its drivers?
Amazon is one of the most valuable public companies in the world, and the pandemic has boosted its profits even further.
But what about the people who deliver your Amazon parcel?
Delivery drivers have told Newsnight demand during the pandemic has meant they are delivering up to 75% more parcels a day with no extra pay.
They reported no bathroom breaks, being on shift for over 10 hours a day and feeling pressure to drive unsafely in order to keep up with targets monitored by an app.
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Graham Watson
onto Microeconomics: IB Economics April 6, 2021 11:18 AM
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BBC's Newsnight look at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on working conditions for Amazon delivery drivers. Yes, they're still in work but they're being expected to deliver an ever greater number of parcels a day, as many as 200 drop a day. Now work that out. 20 parcels an hour, for 10 hours. That's three minutes per drop.
The article looks at the fact that their drivers are monitored to an absurd degree, and this may make their working conditions unsavoury in the extreme.