Business

Amazon Contractor Forces Workers To Choose: Catch COVID-19 Or Starve To Death

Employees of a call center contractor for Amazon are complaining of dangerous working conditions in the city of Cebu, in the Philippines. Business Insider reports workers say they're being forced to make an impossible choice: either become infected with COVID-19--or starve. The contractor, Teleperformance, provides call center services for Amazon's Ring video doorbell products. Dozens of the call center's employees have developed flu-like symptoms, which are characteristic of COVID-19 infection. As public transport has been shut down in Cebu, workers were sleeping on the floor at work so as not to arrive late for their shifts. Workers say that workstations aren't properly sanitized, and when shifts overlap, or when staff sleep on the floor, it's difficult to socially distance. Workers allege that cleaners come through sporadically and when they do, it's with a bucket of water and a towel. People are scared because we don't know who has it and who doesn't have it. But people don't have a choice, because it's either you will be infected or you will die of starvation. Contractor, Teleperformance