TUC brands Amazon Black Friday ambulance callouts ‘a scandal’

Following the news that Amazon receives a spike in ambulance callouts around Black Friday, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has stated that the retail giant urgently needs to improve its treatment of staff.

The body stated that the business must “get its house in order”.

A trade union investigation by GMB claimed that callouts to Amazon warehouses tended to increase by almost half during November and December.

It comes after information was obtained using Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, which revealed that a rise of almost 50% in emergency callouts coincided with the run up to Black Friday, reported the Independent.

Despite this, the employer claimed that most callouts were related to employees’ pre-existing conditions.

Averaged over a five-year period, there were 67 callouts during the month of November and 59 in December, versus a low of 24 in April.

A spokesperson for the firm clapped back and branded the figures “incomplete”.

“Once again, our critics are using incomplete information that’s without context and designed to intentionally mislead,” they explained.

‘A scandal’

Reflecting on the figures, the TUC’s general secretary Frances O’Grady branded it “a scandal”.

O’Grady continued: “It’s a scandal that in the run up to Black Friday – a day that rakes in eye-watering profits for the company – ambulance callouts are sky-rocketing as staff are pushed to the brink.

“Amazon has run out of excuses. It needs to get its house in order now. That means recognising trade unions and bring its working conditions into the 21st century.”

She also implored for more action from the government in order to protect such workers.

“The government cannot watch from the sidelines as people are treated like disposable labour,” she enthused.

“Ministers promised an employment bill in 2019 to improve pay and conditions in Britain. They need to get on with delivering it.”