Amazon compromised and agreed to raise wages, but employees were not satisfied and prepared to continue the strike

On Wednesday, under pressure from the strike, Amazon finally compromised and agreed to a pay rise, with the minimum wage rising by 50 pence per hour, which will take effect at the weekend. However, Amazon employees are clearly not buying it, and think that this pay rise is simply an "insult" to them.

It is understood that employees at Amazon's Coventry warehouse have begun planning more strike actions. The 50 pence pay increase will only increase the minimum wage from 10.5 to 11 pounds, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the current price increases.

Amanda Guerin, an organizer of the British GMB union, said: "We are listening to the voices of workers. It is clear that almost everyone is not satisfied with this pay increase and hopes to be treated more reasonably."

"In response, workers will hold discussions in the coming days and announce the exact date of the next round of strikes."

Darren Westwood, an Amazon employee, said: "We have fought hard and only won an extra 50p an hour, which is far from enough to make a living with high inflation."

"We believe we deserve higher wages, so we will organize the next round of strikes and call on workers at other Amazon warehouses to join us."

Amazon currently has more than 30 warehouses in the UK. An Amazon spokesperson said that we regularly review the current salary situation to ensure that the salaries we offer are competitive in the industry.

The spokesperson added: "Since 2018, Amazon workers' average wage increase has reached 37%, far higher than the industry average. In addition, the company also provides many additional benefits and a good working environment. Last Christmas, even temporary and part-time employees received holiday subsidies of up to £500. "

In fact, Amazon offered a 50 pence pay increase in August last year, but the employees' reaction at that time was no different from this time, and they planned an eight-day strike some time ago.

On January 25 this year, the striking workers made history, becoming the first strike Amazon encountered in the UK. At that time, the workers stood at the door of the warehouse and shouted loudly, demanding Amazon to raise their wages and protesting against the poor working conditions in the warehouse.

Recently, many supermarkets and retail stores in the UK have raised their minimum hourly wages for workers. A war for talent is quietly underway, with some unknown small businesses offering a minimum hourly wage of 11 pounds, equivalent to 92 yuan. It is unacceptable for Amazon, as a giant, to raise wages only to become the same as a small workshop.

It is not yet certain whether there will be more strikes in the future, but it seems that Amazon no longer has the energy to care about such "small things." In January this year, Amazon announced plans to close three warehouses in the UK, involving more than 1,300 jobs.

In addition, Amazon has announced more than 27,000 layoffs this year. Amid internal and external troubles, it remains unknown what Amazon’s next move will be.

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