In time for the “Black Friday” discount campaign, work is to be stopped in seven distribution centers in Germany.
The German trade union Verdi wants to put pressure on the US online retailer with strikes on Amazon during the bargain hunt for “Black Friday”. With the start of the night shift on Thursday, the union called on employees in seven shipping centers in Germany to a three-day strike, as it announced on Wednesday.
Verdi representative Orhan Akman has been criticizing the demand for collective wage agreements and living wages for years: “At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas business make the company huge additional billions in profits. “
Employees at Amazon benefit “from excellent wages, excellent additional benefits and excellent career opportunities,” said the US company. In Germany, the starting wage at Amazon is between 11.30 and 12.70 euros gross per hour.
The collective bargaining agreement
The wage dispute between the online retailer and Verdi has been smoldering for years. Verdi calls for collective bargaining regulations for the employees in the German Amazon shipping centers, as they apply in retail and mail order, and repeatedly underlines this demand with protests. Amazon rejects such a collective agreement with Verdi.
According to its own information, Amazon operates 15 logistics centers at 14 locations with around 16,000 permanent employees. The online retailer claims that Amazon is a fair employer. The logistics workers received “a very competitive wage package”.
The company of the US billionaire Jeff Bezos has multiplied its number of employees in recent years. There are disputes with the trade unions not only in Germany. The company rejects collective agreements as a matter of principle. According to various asset estimates, Bezos is considered the richest person in the world.
