Thanks for penning this story, tragic, as it sounds. It appears as though we are going back in times in treatment of people, while having more fancy labels for the traditional Labour/Personnel Department and persons who run it.
Abuse of workers is rampant and more surreptitious in the so called Global or Top Brands, may be Amazon is leading the pack. But is not the crime being perpetuated by our HR fraternity to survive their jobs, if not to score brownie points with their bosses?
Everyone one of us in some way are contributors for this plight. We prefer to buy things from Amazon for cost advantage and Amazon is making it possible by cutting corners like this. Are we willing to shun buying from companies like Amazon once we realise that they are resorting to inhuman practices, not caring for the benefit we reap? Are we as consumers in a position to have a united action to ban products and services of companies that commit such unethical behaviour? I understand that it both difficult and less prudent.
The Government machinery at various levels are busy promoting their success stories not caring for the real issues other than occasionally showing lip sympathy. The Labour Unions have been successfully marginalised by the Employer class, Managements, Govt. Policies, Courts and by shortsighted actions of the Union Leaders themselves. Time has come to act before the rot gets too pervasive. The least the Employer Organisations and Assessment Agencies can do is not to Award the likes of Amazon as Best Employers or Great Places to Work and hang their head in shame for already having done enough disservice.
Sorry for this long comment.

Interesting comments above, one was about Asian Paints too. I know what Ajay talked, the Bombay Branch office, where I worked during mid eighties had horrible toilets when the HQ in Nirmal was plush! Traditionally, factory toilets are an apology of toilets when compared to HQ.

And there is a mention of awards: they are scams.

https://www.livemint.com/news/hinduja-brothers-sentenced-to-jail-breakdown-of-charges-against-the-indian-born-richest-family-in-britain-11719026736119.html

The Middle East is famous for routine human rights abuse when it comes to poor workers and domestic help. There is no recourse to justice for those poor people.

In India what happened to so-called ‘Migrant Labour’, during Covid, is a mark of shame on the foreheads of all those involved at all levels. That includes the total callous, heartless attitude of our so-called ‘Middle-class’.

As for Unions, I share your lament about what has happened to Labor Unions, post liberalization of the Indian market/economy. Long gone are the stances, especially of the Communists, based on ideology and justice. Yes, they were excessive sometimes (?) and unreasonable, but they were incorruptible and not for sale. They were not racist or communal. They agitated for the benefit of labour as they understood it. We (you and I) stood against them as representatives of management in the days before they invented the silly term – Human Resources – as Industrial Relations Managers. But we stood in an atmosphere of mutual respect. We didn’t agree with each other, but we respected each other and understood the principles we each stood on.

Not any more, as you say, Union maidens awakening from a stupor by the kiss of their first love – the capitalist – whose lapdogs they have become.

Very sad state of affairs and totally detrimental to society as a whole.

Finally, I would laugh myself silly if I could – FULFILLMENT CENTERS? It is a f***** warehouse Bro – Mr. Bezos.

This wordsmithing is a crime that is committed routinely today in almost all workplaces, naming things differently to mask their reality. Meaningless titles and designations, totally ridiculous descriptors to make a problem look like an asset.

My favourite is George Carlin on ‘Soft Language’ https://youtu.be/o25I2fzFGoY?si=lEeE8gd05_9oZdaZ

When we were in active HR roles one tried to fight for a limiting of the temp staffing….typically it got restricted to 25 30% of total strength on shopfloor
That also is bad but sliwly this creeped upwards n by the time i retired in 2014 nos like 60 or 70 were common
Now a new trend has started that even large corporations n even MNCs pride themselves on having 100% of labour on contract
Possibly human rights violation started long ago n now this example
GOK where all this will end….hope not the Maruti Manesar or Africa way of lawlessness