The company said the strike would not affect customers.
Hundreds of Amazon employees have gone on strike. GMB union members are locked in a pay dispute with their employer and are on a picket line outside the company's Coventry office. Strikes are also taking place in Europe and the US – unions say this is the biggest strike in Amazon's history.
The BBC writes about this.
The Coventry employees were the first Amazon UK workers to go on strike in January. The GMB union said more than 1,000 workers were involved in the strike on Friday, November 24, with around 800 on the picket line.
What employees demand
The company recently announced it would raise its minimum starting wage to £13 an hour from April, depending on location, but the union has called for it to be raised to at least £15, as well as better working conditions.
Speaking at the Coventry vigil, GMB senior organizer Stuart Richards said Amazon's offer was “not enough”.
“They [the workers] deserve better. They deserve a decent salary from a company that makes huge profits,” he said.
Richards said union members are holding protests in five different countries, including Germany, the United States and Italy. He added: “This is now a global wake-up call for Amazon. They cannot continue to ignore the concerns of these workers and warehouse workers around the world. Obviously, this is a huge, life-changing event that Amazon simply has to pay attention to.”
Amazon's position
An Amazon spokesperson said the firm regularly reviews its compensation to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits.
“By April 2024, our minimum starting wage will rise to £12.30 and £13 per hour, depending on location – an increase of 20% over two years and 50% from 2018,” they continued.
“We also work hard to provide excellent benefits, a positive work environment and excellent career opportunities. These are just some of the reasons why people want to come and work at Amazon, whether it's their first job, a seasonal job, or an opportunity to advance their career,” the company says.
The strike comes two days after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement announced that the national living wage would rise from £10.42 to £11.44 an hour from April.
Amazon said its wages were already above that level, and above the self-imposed Real Living Wage of £12 an hour for workers outside London. The company added that it also offers other benefits.
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