Amazon says repays $1.9 million to workers in Saudi over unlawful fees

AFP | Riyadh                                            

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Online retailer Amazon said yesterday it had paid $1.9 million to more than 700 contracted workers in Saudi Arabia as reimbursements for unlawful recruitment fees, among other alleged violations.

In October, Amnesty International accused Amazon of a range of abuses against workers in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, prompting the US-based multinational to launch an investigation.

“We found instances where contracted workers were required to pay fees, including recruitment fees and other costs” by Saudi recruitment agents and labour supply companies, Amazon said in a statement posted on its website.

The investigation revealed other violations of its company policies including “substandard living accommodations, contract and wage irregularities, and delays in the resolution of worker complaints,” it said.

As a result, “Amazon paid $1.9 million in reimbursements to over 700 contracted workers”, the statement added.

The Amnesty report drew on the accounts of 22 men from Nepal who worked in warehouses in Riyadh or the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah going back to 2021, according to the London-based human rights organisation.

It found that migrant workers employed in Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia suffered “appalling” living conditions, on-the-job safety risks and wage theft.