Amazon to give $500m in holiday bonuses to its frontline workers

Full-time operational employees in the United States will receive a $300 bonus

Amazon has announced that it will give $500m in holiday bonuses to its frontline workers who are working the season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Full-time operational employees in the United States working from 1 December to 31 December will receive a $300 bonus, while part-time employees will receive a bonus of $150, Amazon announced on Thursday in a blog post.

UK employees will receive bonuses of £300 ($400) and £150 ($200), respectively.

Dave Clark, the SVP of Amazon Worldwide Operations, said Amazon had spent $2.5m this year alone on “special bonuses and incentives” for its employees. These incentives included raising the minimum wage to $15 and giving out a “thank you” bonus to workers in June.

Amazon has been one of the few retailers to thrive financially during the coronavirus pandemic.  

The company was anticipated to earn more than $100bn for the first time during its fourth quarter, which would bring total sales to $379bn in 2020 – a third higher than it earned in 2019.

But Amazon has also faced scrutiny from the public and US lawmakers for its treatment of workers during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its tax practices and carbon footprint on the world.

Employees have gone on strike in warehouses across the US to protest work conditions they say are unsafe amid the pandemic.

Walkouts and protests at Amazon warehouses continued on Black Friday in 15 countries across the world, including the US and and the UK.