According to foreign media reports, the latest ruling of a French court requires Amazon to temporarily stop selling non essential goods in France and face a huge fine if it violates the rules.
The Versailles court of appeal upheld a lower court ruling that led the e-commerce giant to close its six order fulfillment centers in France and allow workers to take paid leave. Amazon has said it has no clear definition of what it can ship, and that instead of risking fines, it might as well choose to temporarily close its distribution center.
According to a French court ruling, Amazon can only ship items directly related to medical supplies, health products and food in the country during the coronavirus pandemic. It must conduct a risk assessment of its warehouse with the union. The unions took Amazon to court for failing to protect warehouse workers from the coronavirus.
In response to the ruling on twitter, the company said, “we have heard the outcome of our appeal and we are still confused about the decision. We are currently assessing the impact of this ruling on our warehouse and our employees and customers in France. ”
The Versailles court of Appeal said that if Amazon violated the ruling, it would impose a fine of 100000 euros ($108000) on each shipment of goods that failed to meet its conditions. The court will review the company’s progress next month.
With the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the world’s largest online retailer is facing the challenge of surging online orders, and its health measures taken to protect employees from viruses are increasingly being scrutiny by countries such as Europe and the United States.
Most stores in France have been closed as the French government tries to control the spread of the epidemic, and the closure of Amazon’s warehouses could disrupt deliveries across the country.
Earlier, a ruling novel coronavirus of France asked that Amazon must conduct a more thorough assessment of the measures to prevent new coronavirus in its warehouse. During this period, only the necessary supplies must be delivered, or face fines.
Amazon said in a statement: “we are confused by the court’s ruling in the absence of details about how we can protect our employees’ security. Our explanation indicates that we may be forced to suspend our distribution center in France and will appeal this decision. “