French court orders Amazon to pay up for every non-essential delivery
Amazon warehouse
Amazon has come under fire from French authorities for delivering non-essential products and luxury items during the pandemic.
A new ruling by the French court clearly states that Amazon can now only deliver goods related to medicine and its supplies, products related to hygiene and cleaning, and food items for as long as the pandemic lasts.
Additionally, the court ordered the company to constantly conduct risk assessments of its warehouses, in conjunction with labour unions.
The labour unions had recently dragged the mega-company to court for allegedly being unable to protect its employees from exposure to the virus.
The company tweeted in response to the ruling, “We have heard the outcome of our appeal and remain puzzled by the decision. We are currently assessing the implications for our sites as well as for our employees and customers in France.”
If Amazon is found to be in violation of these rulings, the company would be liable to pay $108,000 for every non-essential item it delivers, as per The Versailles Court of Appeals.
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The court will revisit its ruling based on the company’s performance next month, and keeping in mind the stage of the pandemic.
Recently, protests erupted across Amazon warehouses in the United States, where employees complained of insufficient precautionary measures, and staged a walkout.
In response to this, Amazon fired the employee who came up with the idea of the walkout. This move invited ire from labour unions across the globe.