Amazon says repays $1.9 million to workers in Saudi over unlawful fees

Amazon. said Friday it had paid $1.9 million to more than 700 contracted. reimbursements. for unlawful recruitment fees, among other alleged violations...

In October, Amnesty International accused Amazon of a range of abuses against workers in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, prompting the US-based multinational to launch an investigation...

"We found instances where contracted workers were required to pay fees, including recruitment fees and other costs" by Saudi recruitment agents and labour supply companies, Amazon said in a statement posted on its website...

Amnesty accused recruitment agents and two Saudi labour supply companies of deceiving migrant workers who thought they would be employed directly by Amazon and took out steep loans to pay recruitment fees...

Labour supply companies have also threatened to impose steep fines for workers who want to cut short their contracts, effectively stranding them in the Gulf kingdom, the human rights group said.. Responding to the Amazon reimbursements, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty's head of economic and social justice, called the move a "vital step" but said more needed to be done.. "Remedy should also be extended to hundreds of other workers contracted by Amazon who have already left the company or country," he said in a statement...

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