'Appaling': Amnesty flags condition in Saudi Arabia's Amazon warehouses

Migrant workers employed in Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia have suffered "appalling" living conditions, on-the-job safety risks and wage theft, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday.

Labour supply companies have also threatened to impose steep fines for workers who want to cut short their contracts, effectively stranding them in the Gulf Kingdom, the human rights group said.

"The workers thought they were seizing a golden opportunity with Amazon but instead ended up suffering abuses which left many traumatised," said Amnesty's head of economic and social justice, Steve Cockburn.

"Many of those we interviewed suffered abuses so severe that they are likely to amount to human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation."

The report draws from the accounts of 22 men from Nepal who have worked in warehouses in the Saudi capital Riyadh or the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah going back to 2021, Amnesty said.

Cockburn said Amnesty suspects "hundreds more endured similar appalling treatment."

Amnesty accused recruitment agents and two Saudi labour supply companies of deceiving migrant workers who thought they would be employed directly by Amazon and took out steep loans to pay recruitment fees.

Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia they encountered "dirty and overcrowded accommodation, sometimes infested with bed bugs" as well as "gruelling" working conditions marked by constant monitoring and inadequate rest, sometimes resulting in injury, Amnesty said.

The kingdom's "kafala" sponsorship system for foreign workers meant the labourers struggled to leave the warehouse jobs and risked possible arrest for "absconding", Amnesty said, adding that "a few contemplated suicide".

One worker identified as Dev told the rights group: "I tried to jump from the wall, I tried to kill myself. I told my mum and she said: 'Don't, we will get a loan.' Already it is eight months since she took a loan and the interest is piling up."

Amnesty said Amazon should compensate affected workers and investigate working conditions along its supply chain.

Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations, John Felton, said in a statement sent to AFP that Amazon was "deeply concerned" some contract workers in Saudi Arabia "were not treated with the standards we set forth, and the dignity and respect they deserve".

He said the company was working with "our third-party vendor" to ensure that conditions improve and that workers are repaid "any unpaid wages or worker-paid recruitment fees" and provided with "clean and safe accommodations".

Amnesty also called on Saudi authorities to investigate the abuses and improve conditions for foreign workers.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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