AMAZON has been accused of putting "profit before safety" after Dunfermline warehouse staff were told to work overtime.

Despite government calls for the public to restrict physical contact following the outbreak of coronavirus, the tech giant informed workers that they had to work compulsory overtime, the GMB union has said.

But Amazon stressed they were working to ensure that they could deliver to customers due to the increase in demand for essential items.

Mick Rix, GMB national officer, said: "Once again, Amazon is putting profit before safety. Forcing people to work overtime is just not right, and the fact Amazon put this policy in place is extremely concerning.

"If Amazon had asked for volunteers, people might have been more accepting, but they are imposing their demands on workers without any regard for their safety."

An Amazon spokesperson said: "As demand continues to increase, we are working to ensure we can continue to deliver to the most impacted customers while keeping our people safe.

"Many of these customers have no other way to get essential items and we want to be sure that we have the right resources in place to deliver on their needs.

"Starting this week, we’ll be prioritising the intake and dispatch of items most needed by our customers right now. These are items such as food, health and personal care products as well as items needed to work from home.

"We also have a process in place so that employees who are unable to work overtime for personal reasons are able to speak with managers and map out a schedule that works for them.”