Amazon to pay $500 million in one-time bonuses to front-line workers

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it would spend $500 million on one-time bonuses to its front-line employees and partners working through the coronavirus crisis.

Employees and partners who have been with the e-commerce company through June will receive bonuses ranging from $150 to $3,000, the company said (https://blog.aboutamazon.com/operations/a-thank-you-bonus-for-amazon-front-line-employees-and-partners?utm_source=social&utm_medium=tw&utm_term=amznnews&utm_content=thankyoubonus&linkId=92219661) in a blog post.

The world's largest online retailer, which delivers about 10 billion items a year, has been facing intense scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and unions over whether it is doing enough to protect staff from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in the day, workers at six Amazon sites in Germany decided to go on strike in protest over safety after some staff at logistics centres tested positive for coronavirus, labour union Verdi said on Sunday.

(Reporting by Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)