Amazon fined for hiding algorithms that control employees
The multinational did not inform the unions about the tools that measure productivity and other parameters.
BarcelonaThe Generalitat (Catalan government) has imposed a groundbreaking fine on the multinational Amazon for hiding the algorithms that monitor its employees, according to Cadena SER and confirmed by ARA. The fine was imposed because the company refused to reveal to employees the parameters used to operate the digital systems that measure productivity or distribute tasks at the logistics center in El Prat de Llobregat.
The fine stems from an inspection conducted a year ago at the Amazon logistics center in El Prat, the largest in Spain, where more than 2,000 employees work. The fine, for breach of workers' right to participation, was imposed by failure to inform union representatives about the operation of this IT tool. It amounts to €2,451. "A company like Amazon can hardly be bothered by any fine," Dani Cruz, head of digital transition for the Catalan Workers' Commissions (CCOO) (Working Council of Catalonia), told SER. However, he adds: "Even if it's a symbolic fine financially, it's essential to consolidate a new workers' right, which is to know if algorithms have an impact on the workplace."
The company filed an appeal against this sanction, but the labor authority dismissed it and upheld the fine, which has already been paid by the company.
Unions point out that digital monitoring at Amazon is used to measure productivity, set schedules, and even determine meal or bathroom breaks. "In all jobs, they have a way of knowing your pace," Raúl Hernández, a warehouse worker at El Prat and a member of the CGT works council, explained to SER radio. "They measure everything you place item by item, and if they think it's not enough, they demand more," this union representative complains. He also criticizes the fact that workers don't know what their objectives are or whether they are meeting them until a supervisor arrives. "They often come and tell you, 'You're not keeping up with the daily average,'" he notes. "But how can I know the average?" he laments.