Amazon, the e-commerce giant has announced that it will pay one-time bonuses of US$500 to most frontline workers who helped keep the company’s e-commerce operations running during the tough times of coronavirus pandemic this month.
Employees and partners who have been with the e-commerce company through June will receive bonuses ranging from $150 to $3,000, the company said.
The bonuses, were announced in a blog post on Monday, will cost the company some US$500 million, said Dave Clark, the senior vice president who oversees Amazon’s logistics group. In an appreciating tone, he said “Our front-line operations teams have been on an incredible journey over the last few months, and we want to show our appreciation with a special one-time Thank You bonus.”
The bonus is for all full-time warehouse workers, delivery drivers, and Whole Foods Market employees will receive US$500. Employees and contractors may receive different amounts based on their role, the company said, from US$3,000 for the owner of one of Amazon’s delivery franchises to US$150 for drivers in Amazon’s gig-economy Flex driver program.
The world’s largest e-commerce giant, which boasts of delivering about 10 billion items a year, has been facing intense heat from U.S. lawmaking authorities and unions over whether it is doing enough to protect staff from the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier in the day, workers at six Amazon sites in Germany decided to go on strike in protest over safety after some staff at logistics centers tested positive for coronavirus, labor union Verdi said on Sunday.
