Amazon to take action against India delivery partner after fire probe

 Photo Credit:Reuters / Amit Dave

NEW DELHI, July 2 (Reuters) - Amazon said on Thursday it will take "appropriate action" against a third-party delivery partner in India once a police investigation into a fire that killed two workers concludes.

Citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter, the report said Amazon has also initiated an independent internal investigation into the incident. The source did not want to be publicly identified citing the confidentiality of the issue.

The fire occurred on June 5 at a facility run by M&M Logistics Solutions, an Amazon delivery partner in the northern state of Uttarakhand, resulting in two worker fatalities. A state police document reviewed by Reuters alleges that the building lacked a valid fire safety clearance, a fire alarm, smoke detectors and a proper emergency exit.

"We will take appropriate action in line with our policies once the (local authorities) investigation is complete," Amazon said in a statement to Reuters. The company added that the safety and wellbeing of its workers is its top priority.

State police in Uttarakhand and M&M Logistics did not respond to Reuters queries.

In a statement, the Amazon India Workers Union demanded an independent investigation by a judge into the June 5 deaths and called the incident a grave failure of workplace safety and protection of human dignity.

According to a 2023 Amazon press release, M&M Logistics Solutions runs 45 Amazon delivery centers in 21 cities, delivering the e-commerce company's packages across northern India.

The report noted that although M&M Logistics Solutions is a third-party vendor, Amazon's internal code of conduct for suppliers and vendors says it does not tolerate working environments that are unsafe for humans, including uncontrolled fires. The code says third-party contractors can be suspended or even terminated for any violations of its standards.

Amazon previously faced scrutiny from India's National Human Rights Commission over allegations of labour law violations during a severe heatwave at a warehouse near New Delhi in 2024. The commission was later informed that the state government had initiated legal action under India's labour law over the complaints.

Post Source:

Reuters (featuring primary data from Arpan Chaturvedi in New Delhi, with editing contributions by Aditya Kalra and Thomas Derpinghaus)

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