Jeff Bezos World’s Richest Man, But Amazon Employees Ain’t Happy

Thousands of workers across Poland, Spain and Germany are on strike to demand better working conditions.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos became the richest man in the world with a net wealth of $141.9 billion, the Forbes World's Billionaires list showed on Monday, 16 July.

Bezos' wealth grew more than $5 billion since 1 June to beat Bill Gates, the principal founder of Microsoft Corporation, who is the second-richest man in the world with $92.9 billion.

Will there be no stopping for Jeff Bezos net worth? 😎

20 years ago: $1.6 billion

10 years ago: $8.2 billion

5 years ago: $28.9 billion

2 years ago: $45.2 billion

1 year ago: $72.8 billion

Now: $150 billion
Richest person in the planet#JeffBezos @Ra_Bies @OneTipOneHand_

— B. Rohith Kumar (@rohithkumar_19) July 16, 2018

Jeff Bezos is the first person in modern history worth 150 billion dollars

I think the most expensive thing i own is my couch

— Kevin Flood (@FLOOKLYN) July 16, 2018

But all was not well on Twitter for Bezos, with many pointing out a more serious issue.

They vented their anger on the working conditions of the Amazon employees, despite the Seattle-headquartered company being the second-most valuable company in the world.

Jeff Bezos has enough money to do anything he wants but he won’t pay any of his workers a fair wage and that’s called being a villain

— Nic (@nicolasscully) July 16, 2018

Amazon:

- Forces employees to work past exhaustion
- Employees pass out from heat
- Employees are severely underpaid
- Employees cannot often take bathroom breaks
- Any unionization is fought
- Labor strikes are happening internationally

Fuck Jeff Bezos. Buy local.#PrimeDay

— Michael 🕶 (@Home_Halfway) July 16, 2018

Strikes in Germany, Poland, Spain on #PrimeDay

Thousands of workers vowed to go on a one-day strike from Tuesday, 17 July at Amazon warehouses in Germany to demand better working conditions – joining colleagues in Spain and Poland in taking action against the world’s largest e-commerce company.

Germany’s Verdi services union called the strike to back its demand for labour contracts that guarantee healthy working conditions at Amazon’s fulfilment centers.

The one-day strike at six facilities in Germany coincides with Seattle-based Amazon’s Prime Day promotion.

Happy Amazon #PrimeDay!
1) Jeff Bezos is the richest person in history with $150b
2) 1,430 Amazon employees in Ohio qualify for food stamps
3) Warehouse workers are forced to work in high temperatures/are docked paid time for toilet breaks
4) Amazon barely pays taxes
5) See #1

— KindleintheWind (@KindleindaWind) July 16, 2018

Hope you’ve had a fabulous #PrimeDay! @JeffBezos @amazon pic.twitter.com/7LCiT3gc2o

— Deryn O’Sullivan (@SullivanPaulD) July 16, 2018

In the first four months of this year alone, Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, saw his wealth increase by $275 million — every single day.
Amazon ranks 17th for the number of its employees who rely on food stamps. #CEOsVsWorkers

— Our Revolution (@OurRevolution) July 16, 2018

Amazon said it expected only a fraction of its 12,000 workers in Germany to join the strike, and that there would be no impact on Prime Day deliveries.

Workers in Spain are out on a three-day strike, while in Poland they are staging a work to rule, Verdi services union said.

Amazon further said Amazon fulfilment center jobs offered competitive pay and comprehensive benefits from the first day of employment. Permanent staff earn $14.31 an hour or more after two years.

"We believe Amazon's fulfillment center jobs are excellent jobs providing a great place to learn skills to start and further develop a career," the company said in comments emailed to Reuters.

The workers found backing from US Senator Bernie Sanders who said they were “grossly underpaid”.

I stand with the Amazon workers fighting for decent working conditions and a living wage on #PrimeDay.

While Jeff Bezos' wealth increases by $275 million a day, Amazon workers are afraid to take bathroom breaks at work and are grossly underpaid. https://t.co/FRg0qz5ca9

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 16, 2018

Germany is Amazon's second largest national market after the US. Net sales grew by 20 percent last year to $17 billion, accounting for 9.5 percent of the total, according to the company's annual report.

(With inputs from Reuters and IANS)