Australian state sets minimum pay for Amazon contractors in landmark step

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Boves, France, August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's New South Wales state ordered employers of freelance delivery drivers such as Amazon.com Inc to pay a minimum rate, a decision hailed by a union as making it the world's first jurisdiction to compel the retailer to follow laws on such payments.

The measure, to be phased in over three years from March 1, requires companies which hire drivers with their own small vehicles to pay a minimum of A$37.80 ($27.20) per hour in Australia's most populous state.