ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

Amazon Changes Controversial Employee Monitoring System

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Amazon Changes Controversial Employee Monitoring System" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/kitns8kc_amazon-logo-reuters_625x300_02_June_21.jpg" title="Amazon Changes Controversial Employee Monitoring System" /></div>
Amazon's insistence on speed led to record workplace injuries last year
</div>
San Francisco:
Amazon shifted policy on a controversial employee productivity monitoring system Tuesday as a coalition of US labor unions took aim at the firm, saying a need for speed in warehouses led to injuries.
Workers at Amazon warehouses are hurt more often and more severely than peers employed at retail rivals such as Walmart, the Strategic Organizing Center said in a report based on data provided to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"The company's obsession with speed has come at a huge cost for Amazon's workforce," the center formed by labor unions said.
Late Tuesday the firm announced a shift in its Time Off Task policy -- a heavily criticized system that uses algorithms to monitor workers' productivity, with employees made to explain their breaks.
If they cross a certain threshold, Bloomberg reported, they often face dismissal.
"Starting today, we're now averaging Time off Task over a longer period," Dave Clark, CEO of Amazon's global retail and logistics business, said in a blog post.
Amazon has invested heavily in workplace health and safety, implementing new technologies, processes and precautions to reduce the risk of injuries, spokesperson Kelly Nantel said earlier in reply to an AFP inquiry.
"While any incident is one too many, we are continuously learning and seeing improvements through ergonomics programs, guided exercises at employees' workstations, mechanical assistance equipment, workstation setup and design, and forklift telematics and guardrails -- to name a few," Nantel said.
There were about six serious injuries per 100 Amazon workers last year requiring the employees to take time off or be shifted to light duties, according to OSHA data cited in the center's report.
That compares to a warehouse industry serious injury average of slightly more than three per 100 workers, the report indicated.
Founder Jeff Bezos told investors in April that the e-commerce giant needs a better "vision" for its workers, after an effort to create the company's first labor union was defeated.
Unions and political leaders have argued that Amazon employees face constant pressure and monitoring, with little job protection, highlighting the need for collective bargaining.
The news comes as the firm is poised to conduct Prime Day sales in late June that have become huge online shopping days due to deep discounts.
Online shopping has soared during the pandemic, with Amazon making a priority of getting orders to customers in just one or two days.
The Seattle-based tech and e-commerce powerhouse hired 500,000 people last year and now directly employs some 1.3 million people globally, according to Bezos.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/amazon-changes-controversial-employee-monitoring-system-after-protests-2454526">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/amazon-changes-controversial-employee-monitoring-system-after-protests-2454526</a>

news world Amazon Changes Controversial Employee Monitoring System

Amazon's insistence on speed led to record workplace injuries last year San Francisco: Amazon shifted policy on a controversial emp...

Iran Ship Sinks In Gulf Of Oman As Firefighting Efforts Fail, Crew Safe

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Iran Ship Sinks In Gulf Of Oman As Firefighting Efforts Fail, Crew Safe" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/1bagndhc_iranshipafp650_625x300_02_June_21.jpg" title="Iran Ship Sinks In Gulf Of Oman As Firefighting Efforts Fail, Crew Safe" /></div>
Firefighting efforts continued "for 20 hours" before the "Iranian Kharg" went down (File).
</div>
Tehran:
An Iranian naval vessel sank in the Gulf of Oman Wednesday after efforts to put out a fire failed, but the crew safely disembarked, the navy said.
The fleet replenishment tanker 'Kharg' had caught fire on Tuesday near the port of Jask on the Gulf of Oman.
The fire broke out in "one of the systems" of the vessel, a navy statement said without elaborating.
Firefighting efforts continued "for 20 hours" before the ship went down, it said.
"Considering the spread of the fire, the mission to save the Kharg failed and it sank in waters off Jask."
It added that the vessel had left for a "training mission" in international waters days ago.
Last year, an Iranian warship was hit by friendly fire during a naval exercise off Jask, killing the 19 sailors onboard.
The port lies close to the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the head of the Gulf through which a fifth of world oil output passes.
Jask is also important to Iran's economy as the site where the government plans to build the country's second-largest oil export terminal.
A 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) pipeline from Bushehr province on the Gulf to Jask was put into service just days ago, the government said.
It will provide a new bypass route for oil exports avoiding the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent months, there have also been reported attacks on Iranian shipping linked to its arch foe Israel.
In April, Iran said its freighter Saviz was hit by an "explosion" in the Red Sea, after media reports said Israel had struck the ship.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-naval-ship-kharg-sinks-in-gulf-of-oman-as-firefighting-efforts-fail-crew-safe-2454525">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-naval-ship-kharg-sinks-in-gulf-of-oman-as-firefighting-efforts-fail-crew-safe-2454525</a>

news world Iran Ship Sinks In Gulf Of Oman As Firefighting Efforts Fail, Crew Safe

Firefighting efforts continued "for 20 hours" before the "Iranian Kharg" went down (File). Tehran: An Iranian naval...

China Says Military Flight Off Malaysia Was "Routine Training"

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="China Says Military Flight Off Malaysia Was 'Routine Training'" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-03/6b4psh9_fighter-jet-generic_625x300_12_March_19.jpg" title="China Says Military Flight Off Malaysia Was 'Routine Training'" /></div>
The planes had not entered any other country's territorial airspace (Representational)
</div>
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
China said Wednesday a flight by 16 military aircraft over hotly contested waters off Malaysia was routine training, after the Southeast Asian nation accused Beijing of breaching its sovereignty.
Malaysia scrambled fighter jets Monday to intercept the Chinese air force transport planes that appeared off Borneo over the South China Sea, where it has overlapping territorial claims with Beijing.
The Malaysian foreign minister criticised the flight as an "intrusion" and said the government would lodge a protest with Beijing and summon the Chinese ambassador.
But a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the "activities are routine flight training of the Chinese air force and do not target any country".
"According to relevant international law, Chinese military aircraft enjoy the freedom of overflight in the relevant airspace," he said.
The planes had not entered any other country's territorial airspace, the spokesman added in a statement.
The aircraft came within 60 nautical miles (110 kilometres) of the Malaysian part of Borneo, and did not respond to attempts to contact them, prompting Malaysia to scramble jets, according to the country's air force.
They turned back before entering Malaysian airspace over its territorial waters.
But Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said they had entered the country's "maritime zone" -- an area that extends much further from the coast -- and described the incident as a "breach of the Malaysian airspace and sovereignty".
China has laid claim to nearly all of the South China Sea and has built numerous military outposts on small islands and atolls, angering other countries with competing claims to the waters.
Malaysia-China relations are usually warm but Monday's incident comes after a build-up in tensions over the sea, which is home to key shipping lanes and is believed to harbour rich oil and gas deposits.
Last year, a Chinese survey ship had a long stand-off with a Malaysian oil exploration vessel off Borneo.
Other claimants in the sea include Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan.
The United States has also sent warships through the waters to assert international rights to freedom of navigation, angering China.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-says-military-flight-off-malaysia-was-routine-training-2454492">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-says-military-flight-off-malaysia-was-routine-training-2454492</a>

news world China Says Military Flight Off Malaysia Was "Routine Training"

The planes had not entered any other country's territorial airspace (Representational) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: China said Wednesday...

African Union Suspends Mali After Second Coup In 9 Months

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="African Union Suspends Mali After Second Coup In 9 Months" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/ap2t653k_assimi-goita-mali-reuters-650_625x300_02_June_21.jpg" title="African Union Suspends Mali After Second Coup In 9 Months" /></div>
Mali's top court validated leader of the opposition Assimi Goita's rise to power (File)
</div>
Nairobi, Kenya:
The African Union announced it was suspending Mali with immediate effect and threatened the impoverished country with sanctions, after a second military coup in nine months.
The putsch has sparked deep concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region and warnings of economic penalties from across the international community.
The AU "decides... to immediately suspend the Republic of Mali from participation in all activities of the African Union, its organs and institutions, until normal constitutional order has been restored in the country", the body's Peace and Security Council said in a statement late Tuesday.
The move follows a similar suspension on Sunday from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In its statement, the AU called for the military to "urgently and unconditionally return to the barracks, and to refrain from further interference in the political processes in Mali".
It warned that if the military did not hand back power to civilian transitional leaders, "the Council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions and other punitive measures".
Condemning the coup "in the strongest terms possible", it added it was "deeply concerned about the evolving situation in Mali and its negative impact on the gains made thus far in the transition process in the country".
Strongman Colonel Assimi Goita was at the ECOWAS crisis summit in Ghana on Sunday to argue the military's case but has now returned to Mali.
Goita last August led army officers who overthrew elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, following mass protests over perceived corruption and a bloody jihadist insurgency.
After the takeover, the military agreed to appoint civilians as interim president and prime minister under the pressure of ECOWAS trade and financial sanctions.
- Elections Pledge -
But in a move that provoked diplomatic uproar, soldiers last week detained transitional president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane, releasing them on Thursday while saying that they had resigned.
Mali's constitutional court completed Goita's rise to full power on Friday by naming him transitional president.
With the junta going back on its previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about its other pledges, including a promise to hold elections in early 2022.
The junta said this week it would continue to respect that timetable, but added that it could be subject to change.
The United States and Mali's former colonial master France had both threatened sanctions in response to the second coup.
But ECOWAS, at a crisis summit in Ghana on Sunday, refrained from reimposing sanctions -- a move it had adopted after the first coup.
The 15-nation bloc still pushed for Mali to transition to civilian rule under a previously agreed timetable.
The bloc suspended Mali from ECOWAS until February 2022, "when they are supposed to hand over to a democratically elected government," Ghana's Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said after the meeting.
Mali is among the world's poorest countries, and the previous ECOWAS sanctions hit hard.
It is also battling a jihadist insurgency which first emerged in the north of the country in 2012 and has since spread to Burkina Faso and Niger, leaving swathes of the vast nation of 19 million people outside government control.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/african-union-suspends-mali-after-second-coup-in-nine-months-2454476">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/african-union-suspends-mali-after-second-coup-in-nine-months-2454476</a>

news world African Union Suspends Mali After Second Coup In 9 Months

Mali's top court validated leader of the opposition Assimi Goita's rise to power (File) Nairobi, Kenya: The African Union annou...

Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2017-11/work-from-home-pixabay_650x400_61510210450.jpg" title="Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home" /></div>
The past year has proved that lots of work can be done from anywhere (Representational)
</div>
A six-minute meeting drove Portia Twidt to quit her job.
She'd taken the position as a research compliance specialist in February, enticed by promises of remote work. Then came the prodding to go into the office. Meeting invites piled up.
The final straw came a few weeks ago: the request for an in-person gathering, scheduled for all of 360 seconds. Twidt got dressed, dropped her two kids at daycare, drove to the office, had the brief chat and decided she was done.
"I had just had it," said Twidt, 33, who lives in Marietta, Georgia.
With the coronavirus pandemic receding for every vaccine that reaches an arm, the push by some employers to get people back into offices is clashing with workers who've embraced remote work as the new normal.
While companies from Google to Ford Motor Co. and Citigroup Inc. have promised greater flexibility, many chief executives have publicly extolled the importance of being in offices. Some have lamented the perils of remote work, saying it diminishes collaboration and company culture. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Jamie Dimon said at a recent conference that it doesn't work "for those who want to hustle."
But legions of employees aren't so sure. If anything, the past year has proved that lots of work can be done from anywhere, sans lengthy commutes on crowded trains or highways. Some people have moved. Others have lingering worries about the virus and vaccine-hesitant colleagues.
And for Twidt, there's also the notion that some bosses, particularly those of a generation less familiar to remote work, are eager to regain tight control of their minions.
"They feel like we're not working if they can't see us," she said. "It's a boomer power-play."
It's still early to say how the post-pandemic work environment will look. Only about 28% of U.S. office workers are back at their buildings, according to an index of 10 metro areas compiled by security company Kastle Systems. Many employers are still being lenient with policies as the virus lingers, vaccinations continue to roll out and childcare situations remain erratic.
But as office returns accelerate, some employees may want different options. A May survey of 1,000 U.S. adults showed that 39% would consider quitting if their employers weren't flexible about remote work. The generational difference is clear: Among millennials and Gen Z, that figure was 49%, according to the poll by Morning Consult on behalf of Bloomberg News.
"High-five to them," said Sara Sutton, the CEO of FlexJobs, a job-service platform focused on flexible employment. "Remote work and hybrid are here to stay."
The lack of commutes and cost savings are the top benefits of remote work, according to a FlexJobs <a href="https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/flexjobs-survey-finds-employees-want-remote-work-post-pandemic/" target="_blank">survey</a> of 2,100 people released in April. More than a third of the respondents said they save at least $5,000 per year by working remotely.
<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="ufptb8ms" class="lozad" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/ufptb8ms_wfh-bloomberg_625x300_02_June_21.jpg" /></div>
</div>
Jimme Hendrix, a 30-year-old software developer in the Netherlands, quit his job in December as the web-application company he worked for was gearing up to bring employees back to the office in February.
"During Covid I really started to see how much I enjoyed working from home," Hendrix said.
Now he does freelance work and helps his girlfriend grow her art business. He used to spend two hours each day commuting; now the couple is considering selling their car and instead relying on bikes.
One of the main benefits, he says, is more control over his own time: "I can just do whatever I want around the house, like a quick chore didn't have to wait until like 8 p.m. anymore, or I can go for a quick walk."
Of course, not everyone has the flexibility to choose. For the millions of frontline workers who stock the shelves of grocery stores, care for patients in hospitals and nursing homes, or drop off packages at people's doors, there are scant alternative options to showing up in person.
But among those who can, many are weighing their alternatives, said Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M University, who's researched why people quit jobs. Bosses taking a hard stance should beware, particularly given labor shortages in the economy, he said.
"If you're a company that thinks everything's going back to normal, you may be right but it's pretty risky to hope that's the case," he said.
At least some atop the corporate ladder seem to be paying attention. In a Jan. 12 PwC survey of 133 executives, fewer than one in five said they want to go back to pre-pandemic routines. But only 13% were prepared to let go of the office for good.
<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="bu9d4keg" class="lozad" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/bu9d4keg_wfh-bloomberg_625x300_02_June_21.jpg" /></div>
</div>
Alison Green, founder of workplace-advice website Ask a Manager, said she's been contacted by many people with qualms about going back, citing concerns about unvaccinated colleagues and Covid precautions. Some have said they're looking for jobs at companies they feel take the virus seriously, or will let them work from anywhere.
Some things are indeed lost with remote work, Green said, like opportunities for collaboration or learning for junior employees. But, she added: "I think we need to have a more nuanced discussion than: hustlers only do well in the office."
For Sarah-Marie Martin, who lived in Manhattan and worked as a partner at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. when the pandemic struck, the months at home gave her time to redraw the blueprint of her life.
"When you have this existential experience, you have time to step back and think," Martin said. "In my previous life, I didn't have time to get super deep and philosophical."
The mother of five moved her family to the New Jersey shore. And once the push to get back to offices picked up, the idea of commuting hardly seemed alluring. This spring, Martin accepted a fully remote position as chief financial officer of Yumi, a Los Angeles-based maker of baby food.
Gene Garland, 24, unknowingly opened the floodgates to people's frustrations about office returns. After his employer, an IT company, in April told people they needed to start coming in, two of his close colleagues handed in their resignation letters. Garland, who lives in Hampton, Virginia, tapped out a tweet:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bro, they said no more teleworking and my co-workers started QUITTING
— Genie 🍎🦉🗽 (@GenieShinobi) <a href="https://twitter.com/GenieShinobi/status/1389286585347235847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
Hundreds of people responded, with many outlining plans, or at least hopes, to leave their own jobs. Garland says he himself has no plans to quit, but empathizes with those who do.
"Working inside of a building really does restrict time a lot more than you think," he said. "A lot of people are afraid of the cycle where you work and work and work -- and then you die."
Twidt, the compliance specialist in Georgia, had already lined up a new job by the time she handed in her resignation letter: a role at a Washington-based company.
The recruiter that approached her, Twidt said, asked what it would take to get her on board. She replied that she would prefer something 100% remote.
"They said, 'we can do that for you immediately.'"
--With assistance from Sridhar Natarajan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/covid-pandemic-employees-are-quitting-instead-of-giving-up-working-from-home-2454471">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/covid-pandemic-employees-are-quitting-instead-of-giving-up-working-from-home-2454471</a>

news world Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home

The past year has proved that lots of work can be done from anywhere (Representational) A six-minute meeting drove Portia Twidt to quit ...

PJW Live: UK Records ZERO Corona Deaths, But Lockdown Remains

The British government has claimed that it intends to send private security contractors to knock on the doors of anyone returning from holidays to make sure they are quarantining upon their return, as required by law.
Home Secretary Priti Patel <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9597685/Priti-Patel-reveals-plans-10-000-quarantine-checks-day.html">announced Wednesday</a> that those returning from destinations that have not been added to the government’s ‘green list’ should expect to be checked on at their homes.
The warning comes after the government lifted international travel restrictions on Monday, allowing people to go on holiday, but with extensive caveats.
Patel claimed that 10,000 checks will be conducted every day by private contractors hired <a href="https://www.mitie.com/all-services/security-fire/?filter-service=security-and-fire&filter-search=">via the firm Mitie</a>, and if people are found to be flouting quarantine or acting noncompliant, police will be called to deal with them, with the authorisation to issue fines of up to £10,000.
The government has decreed that a negative PCR test and ten day quarantine is required for anyone returning from countries it has not deemed to be completely safe to visit, including the popular destinations of The U.S., France, Spain and Greece.
Those returning will then have to take a further two PCR tests (at their own expense) and test negative to be allowed out of their houses after the ten day period.
“People will not go unchecked,” Patel threatened. adding “Significant resources have been put in place – millions of pounds – in terms of the follow-up checking of people around their testing and making sure they stay at home. It has been stepped up.”
Discouraging travel to so called ‘amber list’ countries, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-travel-expect-knock-on-the-door-when-you-return-from-amber-countries-priti-patel-warns-12311649">told Sky News</a> Thursday that “You’ve got to quarantine. People will come to your house to check your quarantine. It’s expensive. We’re not at the stage of saying to people, go to those places on holiday. Please don’t.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock also claimed that the door to door checks are already underway, with 30,000 being conducted last week.
Boris Johnson told MPs yesterday that visits to medium-risk destinations are only acceptable in ‘extreme circumstances’. 
The announcement came after millions of people had already booked trips to the destinations, and in many cases have already arrived there, prompting fury from travellers, airlines and booking agents.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, of Advantage Travel Partnership described the government’s actions as “typical nanny state tactics.”
She added “Surely the British public can make up their own mind if they wish to quarantine in order to visit an amber country. As long as protocols are followed, testing is in place and rules in the destination are adhered to we see no reason why we cannot be allowed to travel safely to amber destinations for leisure. Otherwise, make those amber countries red.”
In related news, it has been revealed that UK ‘Covid passports’ officially rolled out for use during international travel <a href="https://summit.news/2021/05/20/privacy-watchdog-uk-covid-passport-small-print-says-it-will-be-used-domestically/">will eventually be used domestically</a> to restrict the movement of the population, according to the small print on the NHS website.
SUBSCRIBE on YouTube:
Follow on Twitter:
——————————————————————————————————————— 
Brand new merch now available! Get it at <a href="https://www.pjwshop.com/">https://www.pjwshop.com/</a> <a href="https://www.pjwshop.com/"><img alt="PJW Shop" border="0" height="600" src="https://cdn.summit.news/2021/03/merch.jpg" width="348" /></a>
ALERT! In the age of mass Silicon Valley censorship It is crucial that we stay in touch.
We need you to sign up for our free newsletter <a href="https://summit.news/newsletter">here</a>.
Support our sponsor – <a href="https://bit.ly/TURBOFORCE">Turbo Force</a> – a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown.
Also, we urgently need your financial support <a href="https://www.subscribestar.com/paul-joseph-watson">here</a>. ———————————————————————————————————————
 
 
source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/06/01/pjw-live-uk-records-zero-corona-deaths-but-lockdown-remains/">https://summit.news/2021/06/01/pjw-live-uk-records-zero-corona-deaths-but-lockdown-remains/</a>

revolution summit PJW Live: UK Records ZERO Corona Deaths, But Lockdown Remains

The British government has claimed that it intends to send private security contractors to knock on the doors of anyone returning from holid...