Amazon ends COVID paid leave for U.S. workers
(Reuters) – Big on-line retailer Amazon.com Inc will finish its paid time-off coverage for workers with COVID-19 from Might 2, the corporate instructed U.S.-based employees on Saturday.
The change follows the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and revised steering from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, it mentioned.
The U.S.-based employees will now get 5 days of excused, unpaid depart following a confirmed COVID-19 analysis, Amazon instructed employees in a message it offered to Reuters.
“We are able to proceed to soundly modify to our pre-COVID insurance policies,” the corporate mentioned, citing the sustained easing of the pandemic, the supply of vaccines and coverings, and up to date public well being steering.
The adjustments come amid a stream of challenges for Amazon after a current effort to unionize some warehouses. In April, employees at its warehouse in New York Metropolis voted to type the primary union.
On Saturday, Amazon mentioned it’s halting site-wide notifications of constructive instances in services, until required by legislation, in addition to efforts to encourage vaccination.
In January, Amazon trimmed paid depart for employees with the virus to at least one week, or as much as 40 hours. Earlier than that, they obtained two weeks of paid day without work for COVID-19.
(Reporting by Akriti Sharma and Sabahatjahan Contractor in Bengaluru)
