UK Amazon workers to strike before Christmas

Hundreds of Amazon workers at their vast warehouse in Coventry are planning to make history next week - becoming the first group of workers in the UK to vote in favour of industrial action .

Workers staged an informal strike earlier this year after being told their annual pay rise would be 50p an hour, taking the basic wage to £10.50 an hour .

With the support of the trade union, they may become the first Amazon workers in the UK to take part in strike action, demanding an increase in the basic wage to £ 15 per hour .

"This is about protecting the interests of the workers," said Amanda Gilling, a union organizer. "We want to be able to organize and let management hear the voices of the grassroots employees . "

Warehouse workers — which Amazon calls “associates” — say they are required to stand throughout their 10-hour shifts and face strict performance pressure .

If the vote passes , they will set a strike date in the crucial period before Christmas . Union members at Amazon's Doncaster warehouse are also voting at the same time and will coordinate their actions with the Coventry warehouse .

Amazon is facing increasing pressure around the world from millions of low-level workers in its warehouses , who are calling for higher wages and better working conditions .

Former US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also sent a message of solidarity to activists. Amazon unions in Europe have also been organizing internally and are closely watching developments in the UK.

"It is very important for us to maintain coordination and cooperation among Amazon employees in Europe and around the world," said German union leader Andrea Scheer.

German Amazon workers have repeatedly struck over pay and working conditions — the latest of which coincided with a public holiday in Poland so that the company could not simply move work to a neighboring country .

The protests came after Amazon management announced pay rises of less than £ 1 an hour - less than 50p for workers in Coventry - with staff saying they were particularly frustrated because they had been working during the coronavirus pandemic .

Since the union began organizing, employees say work guidelines at the warehouse are now more strictly enforced , and a bus has been arranged to take workers directly into the fulfillment center, bypassing union mobilizers at the gate .

About 300 of the fulfilment centre 's approximately 1,400 workers took part in the consultative ballot, and of those who voted, 97 per cent said they were prepared to take strike action.

However, Amazon recently announced a £ 500 living allowance , to be paid in two installments of £ 250 each . The union believes this may constitute an illegal inducement for employees not to strike and has contacted lawyers to take legal action. Amazon insists that the money applies to all UK employees and is not related to any potential industrial action.

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Amazon’s starting pay has increased to between £ 10.50 and £ 11.45 per hour , depending on factors including location . This represents a 29% increase in the minimum hourly wage paid to warehouse associates since 2018 .

The spokesperson also highlighted the £ 500 living cost allowance , adding that Amazon employees also receive a "comprehensive benefits package" "worth thousands of pounds every year".

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