Amazon in France extend closure and appeal to French court after refusing to assess health risks for employees.

Amazon in France extend closure and appeal to French court after refusing to assess health risks for employees.

AMAZON’S six French warehouses will remain closed until May 13, following a court decision which permitted the online retailer to deliver only essential products until the company had carried out an assessment of the health risks to its employees during the Covid-19 crisis.

The court ruled that if this was not respected, the company would be fined €1 million per day and per offence. Amazon appealed the decision but lost and chose not to assess the risks to its workers, yet choosing to close all the warehouses until a solution is found.

In a new statement announcing the extension of the closure, Amazon said: “The penalty payment, as specified by the Court of Appeal, obliges us to consider continuing the suspension of activity of our French distribution centres until Wednesday May 13 inclusive. At the same time, we continue to work with our union partners and to assess how best to operate our distribution centres in the light of the court’s decision.”

Amazon is also planning to appeal again to the court, la Cour de Cassation.

Meanwhile, fortunate employees who have had to stay at home will be paid 100 per cent of their wages by Amazon, as the government refused Amazon’s request for state subsidised temporary unemployment.

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Damon Mitchell

From the interviewed to the interviewer

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