Amazon in Victorian illness outbreak at UK warehouse as staff threaten to stroll out
Amazon has confirmed an outbreak of a contagious disease at one of its UK warehouses as staff are threatening to walkout.
The multiple tuberculosis (TB) cases of have now prompted the GMB union to call for Amazon’s Coventry site to be closed with immediate effect after issues have also reportedly caused delays with delivery.
NHS staff were reportedly called to the warehouse to take blood tests that confirmed multiple cases.
Amazon has insisted it is continuing operations with guidance from NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
A spokesman for Amazon said: “In line with best practice safety procedures, we immediately followed guidance from the NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and made all potentially affected employees aware of the situation.
(Image: PA Wire)
“We will continue to follow guidance from the experts in the NHS, and would respectfully remind public organisations of the need for responsible communications where matters of public wellbeing are concerned.”
However, GMB union are confirmed by the risk of exposure to the wider community with staff and visitors to the site.
Amada Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser, slammed the decision to keep the warehouse open as she dubbed the incident as “a mass TB outbreak of a scale not seen for decades”.
(Image: PA Archive)
Gearing said: “Currently, Amazon is putting all workers, site visitors, and the local and wider communities at risk of exposure to a serious infectious disease.
“Coventry Amazon risks becoming the engine room of a mass TB outbreak of a scale not seen for decades.
“Immediate and decisive action – including the temporary closure of Amazon Coventry – is required to prevent this.”
GMB Union have asked Amazon to make the decision to immediately close the warehouse and all staff sent home.
For workers be medically suspended on full pay while the situation is assessed and brought under control. and that the site remains closed until appropriate infection control measures are implemented to prevent further spread of TB.
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