A second employee at Amazon in Luxembourg has filed a complaint with authorities over alleged labour code violations, with members of parliament to discuss working conditions at the company on Wednesday.
A first employee in August filed a complaint with Luxembourg’s workplace health and safety authority, the ITM, claiming they worked on this year’s National Day without receiving the extra pay foreseen by the labour code for working on a public holiday.
Amazon denied the allegation, saying staff were compensated.
The same employee later filed a second complaint, citing regular unpaid overtime - which they described as the norm - and other suspected labour code violations. The latest alert submitted to the ITM on Friday, raises similar concerns.
Evenings and often weekends belong to the company
Amazon employee in complaint to the ITM
“Evenings and often weekends belong to the company,” the author stated in the document, seen by the Luxembourg Times. “Working above the normal hours is a recurring feature of my work.”
Over the course of ten weeks, the employee said they worked more than 60 hours of unpaid overtime, averaging 46 hours per week, and exceeding 48 hours several times.
Under Luxembourg law, a working day, including overtime, may not exceed ten hours. A working week should not be longer than 48 hours. Employees are also entitled to 11 hours of consecutive rest per 24-hour period.
As the company operates internationally, meetings are often scheduled after 18:30 and on occasion after 22:00, the employee claimed.
“These meetings form part of our normal responsibilities,” the individual said, also citing a constantly elevated workload and pressure to meet deadlines.
Employees are expected to keep up with their workload even when on annual leave or sick leave, the employee claimed. While never told to do so explicitly, the employee said that pressure to deliver is so high that people don’t want to fall behind.
“At Amazon, you don’t complain: the personal risk seems very high and the likelihood of changing something very small,” they said.
With stress and fatigue building up, “my mental health declined to the point where I had to consult [professional help] and receive treatment,” the employee said.
‘Fully invested’ in ‘positive workplace’
“Amazon is committed to complying with all applicable Luxembourg labour laws, including employee health and safety,” the company said in a statement on Monday. “Amazon always takes a collaborative approach on any enquiries for information from the ITM.”
The company did not reply to questions on whether it believes the reports filed with the ITM are indicative of wider issues within company culture, nor what steps it has taken to address the complaints internally. It did not respond to questions about internal reporting mechanism available to staff and how the company protects employees from potential reprisals.
“We are fully invested in creating a positive workplace and a culture of builders and innovators, where employees can develop their skills and advance their careers. Our employees can work from multiple locations, and move freely between focused work, collaboration, and breaks,” a spokesperson said.
“In 2026, for the third consecutive year, Amazon has been recognised as a Top Employer in Luxembourg, certified by the Top Employer Institute, a global authority in HR certification. Among all Top Employers in Luxembourg, Amazon ranked first in 2025 and 2026,” the statement concluded.
How the ITM treats complaints
Once a complaint is received by the ITM, it takes the following steps, as outlined by a spokesperson in August:
The ITM first verifies that the subject of a report falls within its remit. The file is then “prioritised according to the seriousness of the alleged facts, the number of employees concerned and whether there is a risk to their safety or health.” In case of imminent danger, the ITM will intervene immediately.
The ITM may “request the production of all books, registers, files and documents relating to working conditions”. It can also summon company representatives as well as staff delegates and employees. “It may also carry out an on-site inspection”, without prior notice, at any hour of the day or night.
Depending on the findings, the ITM can take different types of action, from closing a file (in case it could not establish the facts) to issuing a warning or recommendation to the employer. It can tell the company to remedy any shortcomings found by a certain deadline. In the most serious cases, it can order a stoppage of work.
Should a company fail to comply, the ITM can issue fines of up to €25,000. Employers can object within 15 days. A decision taken following an objection may be brought before the administrative courts.
Finally, the ITM may “record the offence in an official report which is filed with the state prosecutor, who decides whether or not to bring proceedings.”
Parliament to discuss working conditions
Amazon is one of the country’s largest employers, with a workforce of 4,550 staff, according to official data by Statec from 1 January.
The company signed a social plan with labour unions at the end of last year, including provisions for 370 job cuts as part of global redundancies. Fewer than 250 have been let go so far under the plan, a staff delegation source told this newspaper in October.
Following the first complaint, Djuna Bernard - a member of parliament for déi Gréng - filed a question with labour minister Marc Spautz about Amazon’s apparent failure to pay staff who worked on National Day.
Spautz in his reply said the ITM was investigating the matter and that he would therefore not comment on it further at this time.
The ITM had previously told the Luxembourg Times that it could neither confirm nor deny receipt of a complaint, nor any action taken.
Following media reports about a second complaint, MPs from déi Lénk requested to discuss Amazon’s workplace practices in the parliament’s labour committee. The committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
“For the first time since I arrived at Amazon, it seems possible that something changes,” the author of the latest complaint stated in the document.
The Luxembourg Times has seen all three complaints including notifications by the ITM that it received them.