Oxfam reveals the surveillance and suffering of Amazon and Walmart workers in the United States

The daily life of thousands of workers leaves much to be desired in the warehouses of these large American companies

We all love to see supermarket shelves stocked with products or have almost instant shipments at home. We are accustomed to using services like Amazon Locker or enjoying discounts thanks to flash offers offered by Amazon. However, the reality is that Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world They make this company greatsometimes to A Expensive cost.

The physical and moral exhaustion of working at Amazon and Walmart in the United States

Oxfam is one of the organizations that ensures the safety of human beings on this planet and thanks to it The report is published on their websiteCan Known Directly what it's like The life of an Amazon or Walmart worker In the economic system of the United States. We've already told you that it's hard, demanding and miserable at times.

The 52-page report, titled “At Work and Under Supervision: Surveillance and Suffering in Amazon and Walmart Warehouses,” was able to reflect Opinions and experiences of 1,484 Amazon workers And based on 444 workers at Walmart In the United States.

“Supermarkets must act now to protect the lives and livelihoods of essential workers in their operations.”@Oxfam The briefing finds that Walmart, Costco, and Whole Foods/Amazon are failing to protect workers during… #Covid1952 thousand signatures calling for improvement 👉 https://t.co/SaA73JyWii pic.twitter.com/dvFkve79bM

— Business and Human Rights (@BHRRC) June 29, 2020

There will be Workers In these companies to accept the conditions imposed by their bosses, but some of them did They described their work as “slavery.”. Furthermore, both companies appear to be monitoring their employees suspiciously. In fact, the report stated: '(…) No Excessive monitoring It not only worries the workers, but also worries them Erosion of workers' rights'.

a Amazon spokesman accuses Oxfam Understand that the report is biased and seeks to highlight already held beliefs among the population, while a Walmart spokesman He also qualified 'Incorrect information' To the structured material. We ask ourselves: Is it possible that workers' opinions are biased or incorrect?

Amazon and Walmart are driving economic inequality in the US, Oxfam says https://t.co/siAyc04dr0 via @oxfamamerica

– Max Lawson (@maxlawsontin) January 30, 2024

While the Responsible for these companies Describe control measures as examples Security tools As for its workers, the reality appears to be very different. the Workers talk about operations measured in millimeters And go against the clock at all times, even limiting basic actions such as going to the toilet or taking a break.

Not only are workers monitored through their own devices, but cameras are also set up to report extended absences to supervisors. Moreover, in Walmart caseThe report states that 'Little is known about the technology Which the company is currently using Worker monitoring In their warehouses.

It doesn't look like things will get better. According to the Oxfam article, some Walmart workers They talk about The company treats robots better From its facilities That's for humans who are working on it. We should not be surprised, although we should be shocked, because in this age of immediacy the result is more important than the process, even if this means betting on policies that ignore the central axis that drives companies forward: human capital.