Amazon to investigate claims of worker mistreatment at German warehouse

Amazon has agreed to look into complaints from staff at one of the online retailer’s fulfillment centers in Germany. The investigation comes after a German TV station aired a documentary that depicted temporary Amazon warehouse employees — often hired by outside agencies — complaining of extreme and unfair treatment in the workplace. Some claim they were forced to work for 15 consecutive days by management, while others complained of being shortchanged when it came time to collect their paycheck. “It’s like being in a machine and we are just a small part in this machine,” one worker told the show’s producers.

Perhaps even more alarmingly, the film crew captured footage of security officers with apparent ties to Germany’s far-right neo-Nazi movement. Amazon insists that it doesn’t employ these security guards directly, but nonetheless plans to examine the situation. “Although the security firm was not contracted by Amazon we are, of course, currently examining the allegations concerning the behaviour of security guards and will take the appropriate measures immediately,” a company spokesperson told The Independent. “We do not tolerate discrimination or intimidation.”