An ABC article regarding working conditions at Amazon Australia.
Not a nice place to visit and I sure would not like to work there.
You can even play The Amazon Race aka Sweat Shop Central.
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ABC News have done a great job with that game - Iām impressed! Itās very disappointing to hear of these working conditions but the game does a great job of highlighting the various issues. Thanks for sharing 
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I now have little blisters on the tips of my fingers trying to keep up with the expected pick time. Might have to go on workerās comp. Wonder if the ABC or Amazon will entertain my claim.
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I have an online friend in the US that works for amazon in a full time position. I did the sums when they first started working, converting everything to Australian dollars and worked out I was getting paid more for working 15 hours a week than they were working more than 40 hours a week. Granted that was when the dollar was much higher than it is now.
Also came across this US article which includes some 911 calls made from amazon warehouses about workers with suicidal behaviour. It shows a total of 189 calls from warehouses in 17 states over 5 years from those amazon locations that responded. (Lifeline 13 11 14, beyondblue 1300 22 4636, Kids Helpline (5-25yo) 1800 55 1800):
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The 72 hour work week for minimum wages is a blessing so workers can pay their bills. <- modern conservative view as practiced as best possible by the likes of Amazon and espoused by Jack Ma
Having a few $billions seems to often detach the brain of some of the āgiants of industryā from any connection with those having less. Then there are the decent billionaires such as Bill Gates who generally were good employers as employers go, and have turned to serious philanthropy and public good causes. Interesting times as the former group seems to be the faster growing.
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Another very unflattering article regarding Amazonās disgraceful business practices.
Absolutely disgraceful.
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I opened my Amazon account in around 1999 (I suspect it was 1997, as I remember my first order and it isnāt listed in my account history). I have bought a lot from the US site over the years, and a few things from the UK site.
Since Amazon opened its Australian site I have had a look at it a few times, for specific items. I every case, the product was cheaper elsewhere - and often it was cheaper to purchase from the US and ship here! Australian Amazon is a pale imitation of what has been offered in other countries. It has expanded a little since its opening, but it appears to be largely a (relatively costly) shopfront for third party sellers.
That said, a lot of Amazonās Echo devices appear to be priced at less than the USD (Echo Dot 3rd gen AUD45 or USD49.99). I assume that means Australians have yet to be sucked into the Amazon ecosystem, and they need to work hard to get customers. Good if you want your own personal in-home spy, but I think Iāll pass.
Not at all surprised. France passed laws a few years ago forbidding supermarkets from destroying unsold food rather than giving it to charities.
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I was a fan of Amazon US and UK and frequently purchased from them, mainly long, narrow shoes, clothing and toys. I was looking forward to Amazon coming to Australia.
Amazon Australia has not lived up to my expectations and I have given up on it. The worst thing about it is, since Amazon has been in Australia, you cannot buy direct from Amazon US or UK as they will not deliver to Australia !
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I was under the impression that Amazon had changed that policy although I have not dealt with them for some years.
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Thanks Fred. I have not visited Amazon Australia for quite some time. I will check it out again on your advice.
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I buy from US site a few times a year when their deals regardless of exchange rates beat the cost of buying it hereā¦eg Prime Day. Sometimes they also stock items we donāt see over here on their Au store.
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I have purchased a couple of books from US site recently, but postage is up and I canāt understand why GST is added to postage.
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It is 100% our illustrious government. GST is applied to everything on the invoice, even shipping completely in the USA. eg if you have a trans ship in Ohio and goods are sent there from Florida by UPS, GST will be applied to that cost as well as the cost of sending it here.
Pretty special, but Gerry Harvey and his mates own many in this government, as well as probably enough in the alternative. Their mental process? We pay GST on shipping, so whether it is in another country doesnāt matter to them. In cases āweā can also end up paying a US sales tax and there are anecdotal reports GST was applied to that also, but it could also have been āteething painsā.
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Amazon. The workplace to die for.
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An article regarding Amazonās disgusting treatment of their delivery drivers.
āDronesā are apparently the future?
Australia has had polices that encourage high unemployment rates.
For some any job for any pay is the only option.
As a community, Amazon and others EG Uber, only get away with poor working conditions and pay because too many of us are accepting of their services. Low paid work and poor conditions are not new problems. Employment in Australia has been trending towards increased unregulated service industries for decades.
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No, if you read the article, using vans (and potentially utes?) . Currently Amazon only allows cars (sedans and station wagons) to deliver its parcels in 4 hour blocks. It has flagged using vans to increase volume of parcels which can be delivered as well as increasing delivery blocks to 8 hours.
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or yes? Maybe here or not here, but.
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Prime-Air/b?ie=UTF8&node=8037720011
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I think human drones are the present for Amazon in all its packing and delivery business. You are expected to turn up, work like a machine, and get paid bugger all.
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There is early film footage and 19th century written accounts of work in āthe Millsā spinning yarn and weaving. The hours were long, the tasks mind numbing and repetitive, the pay unrewarding.
My firsthand experiences of Australiaās manufacturing industries date from the 1970ās, in Brisbane and Sydney. Food processing lines to parts packaging required paced repetition of a single task. The lines were typically full of new Australians, those unable to obtain more skilled work, or less able to carry out heavier physical tasks. Compared with the 19th and early 20th Century likely a familiar sight. The pay and conditions were reputedly better by 1970.
Come the 21st Century, many repetitive industrial low skilled and paid tasks have been relegated by automation, or behind invisible factory walls in developing nations with low social standards. According to the Amazon example from the report, are their needs any different to those of the 19/20th century industrial enterprises? Time equals money and lack of performance costs. It remains also true of many other essential jobs, (from fruit picking to commercial laundry services).
Perhaps Alan Turingās test should be replaced by one that can demonstrate the ability to hand pick string beans, wine grapes or strawberries. The first two have automated picking machines, but with wastage/loss.
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