Protesters have compared Amazon’s Dunfermline warehouse to a Victorian workhouse.
Trade unions joined Fife People’s Assembly on Saturday to campaign for better working conditions at the online giant’s distribution centre off the M90.
Amazon stated it does not use zero-hour contracts but Fife People’s Assembly secretary Tam Kirby said the high turnover of staff at the centre raised concerns about the way workers were treated.
“There is something inherently wrong with the whole system when people can’t even last a few months in the place and end up leaving or they are being sacked for no reason.”
The People’s Assembly claimed Amazon was using “Dickensian work practices” and compared the situation to Sports Direct, which recently came under fire for similar reasons.
Joining the protest were trade unions Unite, Unison and GMB.
Mr Kirby said there was a two tier system, where agency workers were not guaranteed any more than 20 hours of work.
He also said Amazon operated a punitive “six strikes and you’re out” policy, with claims one member of staff was penalised for not walking fast enough.
“I’ve heard far too many horror stories from inside that building,” said Mr Kirby.
“I’ve also heard from people who have turned up and been turned away because there was no work for them that day.
“We’re not calling for a boycott, we just want better working conditions for employees.”
A spokesman for Amazon said: “Amazon is proud to be a significant contributor to the economy in Scotland, including investing hundreds of millions of pounds in our Scottish operations over the past five years and today supporting over 2,200 competitively-paid jobs at our research and development centre as well as customer service centre in Edinburgh, and fulfilment centres in Gourock and Dunfermline.
“We care for and value our employees and maintain a culture of direct dialogue with them. People are employed in a range of positions, from operations managers to engineers, HR and IT roles to employees who will handle orders at the fulfilment centres.
“Amazon employees do not have zero hour contracts. Currently over 95% of temporary employees in our fulfilment centres work a 40-hour week.
“Outside of the Christmas period, the majority of our total UK fulfilment centre workforce is made up of permanent employees. To manage variation in customer demand and as a way of finding high-quality permanent employees we also engage seasonal employees.
“Like most companies, Amazon also has a fair and predictable system to record employee attendance.”
