During the height of the pandemic Amazon scooped almost £150 million in taxpayer cash – it’s repellent, says GMB Union

Amazon, one of the world’s most valuable companies, was handed more than £430 million in public cash since 2017.

Shockingly, almost £200 million of this was handed over without even a tendering process, a new study published by GMB reveals.

According to the report, Amazon has earned £438m from since 2017.

Earnings from the UK public sector peaked in 2020 with £148m in spend.

Nine out of the 10 largest contracts won by Amazon in 2021/22 were awarded via the G-Cloud framework, surpassing the need for a full open tender process – including an HMRC contract worth £94 million.

The findings are based on open procurement data compiled by Tussell, a data provider on UK public sector contracts and expenditure. G

MB investigations have revealed hundreds of ambulance call outs to Amazon warehouses, treating workers who have broken bones, been knocked unconscious and even suffered convulsions.

Mick Rix, GMB National Officer, said:

“Amazon are trousering a fortune in public cash while not paying their fair share of tax.

“During the height of the pandemic, when they were already making a mint due to lockdown, Amazon still scooped almost £150 million in taxpayers’ cash – much of it without tender.

“And their biggest customer was HMRC – you couldn’t make it up.

“Meanwhile the same company allows dangerous conditions to flourish in its warehouses and won’t the recognise workers’ union, GMB. It’s utterly repellent.”