Condition of workers at Amazon’s Manesar warehouse: NHRC takes cognizance of report, issues notice to union ministry

As per the Commission’s press release, “The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that at one of the warehouses of a multi-national company in Haryana’s Manesar, a 24-year-old worker was asked to pledge that they would not take toilet or water breaks until they finished unloading packages from six trucks, each measuring 24 feet long, after their team’s 30-minute tea break had ended.”

Further quoting from the report, it mentioned the condition of a female employee at the Manesar warehouse. “The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights of the workers in violation of the labour laws and the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment from time to time. Accordingly, the Commission has issued a notice to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, calling for a detailed report in the matter within one week,” it stated.

The Commission said it has also noted that the government has been insisting on improving workers’ living standards. “Apart from ensuring proper payment of minimum wages to the workers, government schemes have been introduced to provide social security for the labourers including a safe working environment, safety gear in hazardous working conditions, medical insurance and free annual health check-ups of the workers by the employers. A scheme was started ‘Shramev Jayate’ in the year 2014 targeting the country’s growth and maximum benefit to the workers. Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017 also came into effect to increase the paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks,” it said.