In separate letters to Amazon CEO
"I am extremely disturbed that workers in some of the world's most profitable companies - in one of the richest countries on earth - are struggling to afford to eat or pay their rent," said
"Multi-billion-dollar companies should be setting the standard for working conditions and wages, not violating the human rights of their workers by failing to pay them a decent wage," he added.'Pathway out of poverty'
As outlined in a recent report to the UN on the rise of the "working poor", being in a non-standard employment contract is a major cause of in-work poverty.
The Special Rapporteur also pointed to a United States Government report naming all three as among the top employers of Government medical and food assistance recipients.
"Jobs are supposed to provide a pathway out of poverty, yet in all three companies the business model seems to be to shift operating costs onto the public by relying on government benefits to supplement miserably low wages," he said.Aggressive union-busting
The ability of workers at Amazon and
"It appears that the US is turning a blind eye to the union-busting activities of its most powerful corporations, allowing them to steamroll workers into accepting poverty wages while corporate revenues soar," lamented the expert.
The Special Rapporteur wrote to the
"Around 6.3 million people are classified as working poor in the US, and the country falls drastically behind other high-income nations in terms of wage policies, worker protection and the right to organise," he said.
"Businesses have a responsibility to respect internationally recognised human rights, including the right to a living wage and to join a union without fear of reprisal,"
The expert asked for replies to his letters of 31 August within 60 days. To date, only Amazon has provided a response, although it does not fully address all the concerns expressed. There has been no response from the
"The allegations against Amazon,
Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the
.
(C) 2023 M2 COMMUNICATIONS, source