4 ms·

Amazon contractors enduring ‘subhuman’ conditions in Philippines

29 points by chewz 7y ago

godzillabrennus 7y ago
Philippinos are some of the best people I’ve met. So happy. They work insanely hard when given opportunities. Cruise ships, middle eastern governments, and others have abused them for years. Wish they hadn’t pushed for independence. As an American state they would have prospered so much more.
- gowld 7y ago
  Zero chance of being a state. They'd be a territory like Puerto Rico or Guam.
- dntbnmpls 7y ago
  > Wish they hadn’t pushed for independence. Why? They are their own people/nation? They deserve independence. > As an American state they would have prospered so much more. There was a racial requirement for statehood ( majority white ). It was one of the sad reasons for the extermination of the native americans. If the philippines were to become a US state, it would probably mean that most filipinos would have been killed off or pushed out of the philippines. Do you really think the filipinos would have prospered in that environment? Not to mention, they are catholics and the US historically didn't treat catholics too well. You might want to read up on the history of the US and the US history in the philippines/pacific. It isn't pretty. You do realize that their first attempt at independence was crushed by the US right? And for 60 years, philippines was a poor colony of the US? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_Wa...
gentleman11 7y ago
Paywall. Can anyone provide a summary?
- chewz 7y ago
  > Video footage and stills, taken at the weekend and provided to the Financial Times, appear to show several employees sleeping on the floor at a facility in Cebu City. One employee appears to have set up a bed on a treadmill. > The Amazon-contracted workers at the site, which is managed by French outsourcing company Teleperformance, provide support to customers who have bought the US tech giant’s internet-connected Ring camera systems. > While it is typical for some Filipino call centre workers to sleep on-site to avoid long commutes, workers said lockdown restrictions meant the facility had been overwhelmed. Employees said they were only able to leave the site to buy groceries or use showers at a nearby hotel. > In a letter to their bosses, the workers say promises of adequate sleeping arrangements have not materialised, which has led to “hundreds” of workers sleeping in the facility, including on the call centre floor itself and in a small gym. > Teleperformance employees face severe penalties for talking to the media or sharing information about their work in any way. A contract seen by the FT suggested that workers would be considered liable for “damages” of “at least” 500,000 pesos — roughly two years’ salary — for breaking confidentiality agreements, on top of losing their job.
  - gentleman11 7y ago
    What a weird situation. What causes that?

29 points by chewz 7y ago

Philippinos are some of the best people I’ve met. So happy. They work insanely hard when given opportunities. Cruise ships, middle eastern governments, and others have abused them for years. Wish they hadn’t pushed for independence. As an American state they would have prospered so much more.

gowld 7y ago
Zero chance of being a state. They'd be a territory like Puerto Rico or Guam.
dntbnmpls 7y ago
> Wish they hadn’t pushed for independence. Why? They are their own people/nation? They deserve independence. > As an American state they would have prospered so much more. There was a racial requirement for statehood ( majority white ). It was one of the sad reasons for the extermination of the native americans. If the philippines were to become a US state, it would probably mean that most filipinos would have been killed off or pushed out of the philippines. Do you really think the filipinos would have prospered in that environment? Not to mention, they are catholics and the US historically didn't treat catholics too well. You might want to read up on the history of the US and the US history in the philippines/pacific. It isn't pretty. You do realize that their first attempt at independence was crushed by the US right? And for 60 years, philippines was a poor colony of the US? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_Wa...

gentleman11 7y ago

Paywall. Can anyone provide a summary?

chewz 7y ago
> Video footage and stills, taken at the weekend and provided to the Financial Times, appear to show several employees sleeping on the floor at a facility in Cebu City. One employee appears to have set up a bed on a treadmill. > The Amazon-contracted workers at the site, which is managed by French outsourcing company Teleperformance, provide support to customers who have bought the US tech giant’s internet-connected Ring camera systems. > While it is typical for some Filipino call centre workers to sleep on-site to avoid long commutes, workers said lockdown restrictions meant the facility had been overwhelmed. Employees said they were only able to leave the site to buy groceries or use showers at a nearby hotel. > In a letter to their bosses, the workers say promises of adequate sleeping arrangements have not materialised, which has led to “hundreds” of workers sleeping in the facility, including on the call centre floor itself and in a small gym. > Teleperformance employees face severe penalties for talking to the media or sharing information about their work in any way. A contract seen by the FT suggested that workers would be considered liable for “damages” of “at least” 500,000 pesos — roughly two years’ salary — for breaking confidentiality agreements, on top of losing their job.
- gentleman11 7y ago
  What a weird situation. What causes that?