Courier Pee In Bottle, Amazon Apologizes: They Often Have Trouble Finding A Toilet

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. (Photo: Doc. Forbes)

JAKARTA - E-commerce giant Jeff Bezos, Amazon, stated that their couriers are sometimes forced to urinate in the car using a bottle. This is because of work demands regarding punctuality and sometimes the difficulty of finding a toilet on the way.

This statement was made by Amazon in response to accusations from Democratic lawmaker Mark Pocan who condemned working conditions in the Amazon.

"We know that drivers can and do have difficulty finding toilets due to traffic or sometimes rural routes, and this is especially the case during COVID-19 when many public toilets are closed," the company wrote.

This Amazon phrase was conveyed as a form of apology to Mark Pocan. Some 5,800 workers at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, are awaiting union voting that will start on Tuesday.

Amazon has opposed historic trade union efforts, while Pocan is among legislators supporting it.

"Paying workers $ 15 per hour does not make you a 'progressive workplace' when you rebel and make workers urinate in bottles of water," Pocan wrote in a tweet on March 24 that sparked controversy.

Amazon responded with a tweet: "You don't really believe in pissing in a bottle, do you? If that were true, nothing would work for us. The reality is we have over a million outstanding employees around the world who take pride in what it is. they did, and had good pay and health care from day one. "

The exchange of arguments sparked a series of criticisms and stories from Intercept detailing how Amazon managers often raised concerns during meetings, and in policy documents and emails about issues of workers urinating on delivery.

Amazon on Friday described its tweet as not taking into account the company's large driver population and instead focusing on its fulfillment centers. The company also said the tweet was wrong, and admitted that the driver did have a hard time finding the toilet.

"Despite the fact that this is an industry broadly, we want to solve it," said Amazon.

"We don't know how yet, but will find a solution," the company added.