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January 25 (United Press International) — workers in amazon British warehouses went on strike on Wednesday over strikes over pay and working conditions, the first time the U.S. tech giant has been hit by strike action in the country.
An estimated 300 of the 1,400 workers at its operations center in the city of Coventry, about a few miles north of London, are expected to join the action, according to the GMB union that organized the strike.
A sort of Press Releases Workers are angry at the company’s proposed $0.62-an-hour wage, and Wednesday’s 24-hour strike could lead to further strikes if Amazon fails to come to the negotiating table, the union said on its website.
The union is seeking to increase hourly wages to $18.50 from the current $12.90 to bring pay in line with Amazon’s U.S. workers and improve working conditions.
“Amazon employees in Coventry will make history on January 25. They have shown they are willing to fight for what is right,” the release said.
“But people who work for one of the world’s most valuable companies should not be threatening strike action just for a living wage.
“GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to give workers appropriate pay rises and avoid strikes altogether.”
Amazon UK reported paying only $13.3m in taxes in 2021 despite recording a pre-tax profit of $251.3m, according to GMB
However, GMB is not accredited by Amazon, so it is currently unable to negotiate with the company on behalf of its members.
Amazon insists its pay levels are ‘competitive’ told CNBC In a statement, it said the strikers “represented only 1% of our UK workforce”.
It added that wages for Amazon’s UK warehouse workers had risen by 29% since 2018, noting that it had made a one-off payment of $616 to help workers cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
In April, workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York voted to form the first union in the company’s history.
The Amazon strike comes at a time when British industry is disaffected by a winter not seen since the late 1970s, with waves of strikes taking place across sectors ranging from the rail and postal services to healthcare and civil servants.
Earlier this month, Amazon announced that it would 18,000 layoffs Globally throughout the year, chief executive Andy Jassy cited uncertain economic conditions and past waves of rapid hiring.
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