The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
The bleak reality of a Christmas contract
EXCLUSIVE: Seasonal staff camp in woods by Amazon to save on commuting costs
Workers at Amazon have resorted to sleeping in tents near the company’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline.
Camping equipment has been seen in woods beside the online retail giant’s base just off the M90, prompting fears about the lengths some people are going to in order to hold down a job.
One worker – who did not wish to be named – said it is easier and cheaper to stay in the woods than commute from Perth.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said: “Amazon should be ashamed that they pay their workers so little that they have to camp out in the dead of winter to make ends meet.”
Amazon said it pays “competitive” wages, and the safety and wellbeing of permanent and temporary staff is its “number one priority”.
On top of its 1,500 permanent staff, the company created 4,000 seasonal posts to cover the busy Christmas period.
Hard pressed workers at Amazon have resorted to sleeping in tents close to the company’s fulfilment centre in Fife, The Courier can reveal.
At least three tents have been spotted in woodland beside the online retail giant’s base just off the M90 in Dunfermline in recent days.
It’s sparked concerns about the depths some employees are apparently plumbing to hold down a job.
Amazon employs around 1,500 staff on a permanent basis at its Dunfermline fulfilment centre but has created 4,000 seasonal jobs to help cover the busy Christmas and New Year period.
The company came under fire last month from local activists who claimed that agency workers are working up to 60 hours per week for little more than the minimum wage and are being harshly treated.
Amazon dismissed those allegations and said it values its employees, maintaining a “culture of direct dialogue” with them.
However, the news that some of its staff have taken to roughing it on bitterly cold winter nights has prompted renewed questions about employee welfare at the company.
One worker, who did not wish to be named, was reluctant to speak to The Courier but did describe the firm as a “poor employer” and criticised working practices at the Fife site.
He added that he had opted to stay in a tent as it was easier and cheaper than commuting from his home in Perth, although his camping equipment had disappeared by yesterday afternoon.
Another tent appears to have been abandoned, with rubbish, discarded sleeping bags and cans of cider among the items strewn around nearby.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP, who has repeatedly called for the firm to improve its working conditions and its tax record, once more criticised Amazon after learning that some workers had apparently taken to staying in the woods.
“Amazon should be ashamed that they pay their workers so little that they have to camp out in the dead of winter to make ends meet,” he told The Courier.
“Amazon need to take a long, hard look at themselves and change their ways.
“They pay a small amount of tax and received millions of the pounds from the SNP Government so the least they should do is pay the proper living wage.
“The fares the company charge for transport swallow up a lot of the weekly wage which is forcing people to seek ever more desperate ways of making work pay.“
Earlier this year, Mr Rennie demanded that the multinational receive no more public cash until they could guarantee higher wages for workers, amid suggestions that some staff were paid well below the current living wage of £8.45 an hour.
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “Amazon provides a safe and positive workplace.
“The safety and wellbeing of our permanent and temporary associates is our number one priority.
“We are also proud to have been able to create several thousand new permanent roles in our UK fulfilment centres over the last five years.
“We pay competitive wages — all permanent and temporary Amazon associates start on £7.35 an hour or above regardless of age and £11 an hour and above for overtime.”
Amazon need to take a long, hard look at themselves and change their ways. WILLIE RENNIE MSP