Danish pension companies are engaging with international retail firm Amazon to encourage it to detail how the company ensures its employees have the right to organise and negotiate collectively.

Sampension, PenSam and PKA have announced that they are in dialogue with the firm to explain how it is protecting its workers’ rights.

The pension companies stated that the background of the initiative consists of “serious challenges” with labour rights at Amazon, including the case whereby Amazon is attempting to have the formation of a union by workers in New York City declared illegal.

They added that cases such as this do not harmonise well with the principles of Amazon’s Human Rights Commitment regarding labour rights, which was published in March this year.

The commitment appears to state that the company supports international conventions in relation to the right to organise into trade unions, and negotiate wages and working conditions collectively, according to the pension companies.

At Amazon’s general meeting in May 2022, Sampension, PenSam and PKA voted in favour of a corresponding shareholder proposal for Amazon to prepare a report on how the company ensures workers’ rights.

The pension companies stated that the proposal being supported by 38 per cent of the share capital showed that there was a movement underway, where more and more investors are putting pressure on Amazon regarding workers’ rights.

"We naturally attach great importance to labour rights in the companies we invest in,” commented Sampension head of ESG, Jacob Ehlerth Jørgensen.

“That is why we are very concerned about the many cases in which Amazon is accused of not living up to its obligations in relation to labour rights, and which also seems very far-fetched from the company's own principles in the area.

“Against this background, we now want them to explain how their principles are implemented in practice."

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