Report says Amazon let Chinese whistleblower languish in jail after he exposed labor abuses

Seattle, Washington - Amazon claims it holds suppliers to a high standard in offering protections for whistleblowers, but a new report by The Information begs to differ. It says the company has not come to the aid of a whistleblower thrown in jail after flagging a Chinese supplier breaking labor laws.

A whistleblower and former employee of an Amazon supplier has been jailed in China, and the online retailer has turned a blind eye (stock image).
A whistleblower and former employee of an Amazon supplier has been jailed in China, and the online retailer has turned a blind eye (stock image).  © 123Rf/Sakhorn Saengtongsamarnsin

The former manager at Foxconn, an Amazon supplier, has been languishing behind bars after exposing serious irregularities at his company.

Working tirelessly through 2019 to collect records on behalf of schoolchildren making Amazon Alexa devices, the whistleblower got the records out to an activist group who publicized the findings.

Foxconn, who also manufactures Kindle e-readers, admitted some culpability in coercing what it called "interns" into working for far less than legal wages and for far more hours than allowed.

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Though Foxconn apologized and instituted changes such as removing the leaders responsible and improving pay, the original whistleblower was hunted down and imprisoned, according to The Information.

Amazon has claimed over the years that whistleblowers would be protected, but this isn't the first time they've turned a blind eye to illegal punishments. A labor board already found the online retailer guilty this year of illegally firing activist workers at the company's headquarters in Seattle.

To say the company's efforts into creating a safe environment for employees have fallen short would be an understatement. From forcing delivery personnel to urinate into bottles, to providing "crying closets" for overworked warehouse employees, the Amazon's image has taken a tumble in the last year.

Though some employees have attempted to unionize, those efforts have yet to succeed. And whether the government's attempts to dismantle big tech in the latest batch of giant anti-trust laws make any difference to employees remains to be seen.

Cover photo: collage: 123RF/Sakhorn Saengtongsamarnsin & 123RF/ moovstock

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