Britain’s GMB trade union said on Thursday more than a thousand workers at two Amazon (AMZN.O) fulfillment centers in England would strike in an ongoing pay dispute in early August. GMB’s senior organizer Rachel Fagan said the industrial action will spread further: “It’s clear the fight for workers’ rights at Amazon is only just beginning.” Workers in Rugeley will walk out on Aug. 3-4, while the union said staff at Coventry will take action on Aug. 4-5.
A wave of unofficial wildcat strikes has hit the world’s largest online retailer as workers protest against poor working conditions. GMB, representing some workers, has submitted formal pay claims to the company asking for a real terms pay rise.
But the union has yet to gain recognition at the company, which has rejected previous pay rise offers and says that it is not listening to its workers. It is a longstanding battle for many workers at the site in Rugeley, who are paid just over GBP15 an hour.
“This is what we’re fighting for,” said Darren Westwood, who has been on the job at the company’s massive warehouse in Coventry for three years and is a member of GMB. “The wages aren’t enough to cover the bills and keep us safe on the warehouse floor. We’re under pressure all the time.”
The GMB, which has lost a court challenge to win recognition at the site, has been holding demonstrations at the warehouse in Coventry, one of Britain’s first sites to witness official walkouts in January. GMB members at the site voted to extend their strike action for six months in June.
Workers at the facility, known as BHX4, have spoken of working conditions like slavery. They work 10-hour shifts and are constantly monitored by managers who can email employees who do not meet specific criteria, such as if they go five minutes without scanning an item. They also complain of being sent home early if they do not meet the company’s delivery targets and say they are not treated well for illness or injury.
GMB members at the Rugeley and Coventry facilities will walk out for three days this week, which coincides with Amazon’s annual Prime Day sales event. They will take part in a series of strikes from Tuesday to Thursday for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening each day.
The e-commerce giant’s warehouses in the United States and other countries are also experiencing similar issues over pay and working conditions. Last year, the company laid off 27,000 workers across its AWS cloud services arm and other businesses as it sought to cut costs. A weakening economy and a slump in spending by corporate customers prompted that move.
