Delhi HC to hear Amazon’s foreign exchange violation case in January

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday said it will hear in January a plea by Amazon challenging the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Directorate to investigate matters which are beyond its scope under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The plea was listed before Justice Rekha Palli who did not hold court, and the matter is now listed for hearing on January 5.Petitioners Amazon Wholesale (India) Pvt Ltd and Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd challenged the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and its officers to investigate Amazon Wholesale (India) Pvt Ltd in matters that are beyond the scope of power and remit of the agency under the FEMA.

Last month, Amazon had said it was in receipt of summons by the ED in connection with its deal with the Future Group.The plea said the two companies Amazon Wholesale (India) Pvt Ltd and Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd - are Indian resident entities and are challenging the investigation as it pertains to transactions that have no foreign exchange element. It said the ED had issued a directive on February 19 this year and is conducting a “fishing and roving” investigation against Amazon Wholesale and subjecting the petitioners to proceedings without any legal basis or jurisdiction.

Amazon workers stage walk-out in US for better treatment

Meanwhile, several Amazon workers at two of its facilities in the US staged a pre-Christmas walkout, which is the busiest time of the year, asking for better treatment and higher wages. Before walking out on Wednesday morning (US time), the workers handed over a petition listing their demands to the management, but didn’t receive a response, it was reported.

“We have been passed over for raises. We are being overworked, even when there are sufficient people to work here,” a worker at the DLN2 facility in Cicero, Chicago area, said on a livestream.

“We have not received the bonuses we were promised. There are people here who were hired as permanent workers, and then they took their badges away and made them temporary workers. They are staffing this place unsafely, making people work too fast, even though we don’t have to,” the Amazon worker lamented.

The workers, who work between 1:20 a.m. and 11:50 a.m., are demanding a $5 per hour raise.

Amazon had said the current starting pay is $15.80 per hour at the two facilities that staged walkouts in Chicago. “We respect the rights of employees to protest and recognise their legal right to do so. We are proud to offer employees leading pay, competitive benefits, and the opportunity to grow with our company,” an Amazon spokesperson was quoted a saying.