Amazon back in France after virus deal with unions

Amazon is gradually reopening its warehouses in France after working out new virus safety measures with unions, in an effort to end weeks of legal troubles that had sharply curtailed the company's French business and drawn worldwide attention.

In a victory for labour unions, French courts ruled last month that Amazon hadn't done enough to protect its 11,000 workers in France from the coronavirus.

The world's largest online retailer shut its French warehouses as a result – just as demand soared because stores were shuttered by virus restrictions.

After protracted negotiations, Amazon started a three-week reopening process on Tuesday.

"It's a victory for Amazon workers in French warehouses in France," said Stephane Enjalran, national secretary of France's Sud Solidaire Union, which led the legal proceedings as the largest union at Amazon.

"We think it's also a victory for workers in other countries," he added.

French unions have been in touch with Amazon workers in the U.S, Italy, Poland and beyond, Enjalran told The Associated Press.

He expressed hope that the French court rulings could encourage them - or workers at other companies in France - to demand better virus safety measures.

New measures at the French warehouses include stricter social distancing, better enforcement, and sweeping changes to the logistical chain to reduce the number of people allowed to work in the same place at the same time.

Unions hailed the court rulings as a comeuppance for Amazon, arguing that the company placed profits above safety as the virus spread fast around France.

At least a dozen Amazon workers contracted the coronavirus before the warehouses closed, and one is still hospitalized, Enjalran said.

Two courts found Amazon didn't do enough to enforce social distancing, to ensure that turnstiles and personal storage areas were virus-free, or to increase cleaning of its warehouses.

The company is now taking the case to France's top court, and is restricted in the number of products it can sell while the legal proceedings are under way.

They include food, medicine and cleaning, office and pet supplies.

Amazon hasn't said how much money the company lost as a result of the closures. It dominates the online delivery market in France, with 431 million euros in sales in 2018.

Amazon became a lifeline to many shoppers as much of the globe went into lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that has also led to delivery delays and mounting complaints from workers who worry about contagion while on the job.

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