While the technological advancements that have brought us tailor-made online shopping at the click of a button is worth celebrating, the delirium that surrounded Amazon’s Prime Day this week has left a bad taste in my mouth. Technological progress brings its own challenges, and the concerns of my constituents who have worked at our local Amazon fulfilment centre have only served to reinforce this view.

There is something deeply disturbing about the sheer number of accusations being levelled at Amazon’s working conditions, and that its warehouses seem to be filled with staff who say they are afraid to take time off sick. As one of the most successful companies in the world, Amazon appears to be failing the staff who keep this retail behemoth operating smoothly on a day-to-day basis, and who are therefore the real driving force behind the world’s technological revolution.

With a shocking 600 ambulance calls made to Amazon warehouses in the United Kingdom over the last three years, it is no surprise that in a member’s survey of workers conducted by GMB, one worker described employment there as akin to “living in a prison”. The strict targets that are apparently imposed on staff mean that 70% of staff feel like they are given disciplinary points unfairly, while 89% believe they are being exploited.

Moreover, there have been reports of an employee in late pregnancy being forced to stand for 10 hours a day, and ambulance calls due to “electric shocks” and “major trauma”. An exposé by Vice said that one former employee claimed to be hauled in for disciplinary procedures “after failing to call in sick from hospital following an epileptic seizure at work”. These extensive reports into working practices at Amazon are clearly alarming, and suggest that while companies like Amazon reap the financial rewards of technological progress, they appear to be neglecting the health and safety of their workforce.

I have therefore written a letter to the prime minister urging her to take a stand and ensure further regulation is put into place to see that Amazon’s working conditions are reasonable and humane. What we need is a government that actively intervenes in these workplace disputes, and can address the problems that come with technological change and the unashamed desire to save money at the expense of the wellbeing of the workforce.

Implementing Labour’s 20-point plan for security and equality at work would be a welcome start. By empowering trade unions and enforcing regulation to ensure safe and healthy environments, we can take a stand against companies like Amazon, whose workforce consistently feels exploited and afraid. When Sports Direct was castigated by MPs over its treatment of staff, a mixture of political and public pressure forced it to act. But without that political will, public pressure is not enough: companies will run amok and continue with their deplorable work practices.

While the government continues to flounder, it is important for us to reflect on whether the convenience of websites such as Amazon are truly worth the cost to workers who claim to suffer from the inadequate facilities and awful environments that are pervasive in these warehouses. My hope is that the more we shine the light on these working conditions, the more pressure Amazon will face to finally act.

• Fiona Onasanya is the Labour MP for Peterborough