Amazon shareholders vote against audit of warehouse working conditions

Amazon shareholders have voted down a proposal calling for an independent audit of working conditions at the e-commerce giant’s warehouses.

The proposal’s defeat at the Seattle-based company’s annual shareholder meeting came despite calls from activist groups and unions to improve labour conditions at the warehouses where customer orders are sorted, packaged and shipped.

Amazon had recommended shareholders vote against the proposal and 14 others presented at the meeting.

All the resolutions were voted down by a majority of shareholders, the company said.

Many of the resolutions focused on workers’ rights and issues such as further disclosure of the company’s lobbying and taxes. The resolutions are non-binding but usually pressure corporate boards to take action.

Shareholders also voted to approve compensation packages for six of Amazon’s top executives, including CEO Andy Jassy.

Two investor advisory firms, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services, had recommended shareholders vote against the pay packages, arguing they were excessive.

Jassy received a compensation package worth about 213 million dollars (£170m) last year, with nearly all of the money coming through Amazon shares to be vested over 10 years.