Amazon warehouse workers based in Coventry, UK, have voted to strike for six more months in a dispute over pay.
Almost all (99%) GMB union members who took part opted for extending the action, based on a 54% turnout.
They want a pay increase of £4.50 per hour, which would take their rate from £10.50 to £15, but the online retailer has offered a rise of only 50p. It claims its wages and benefits are regularly reviewed and remain competitive, explaining the minimum starting pay rate for Amazon staff is £11 to £12 per hour, subject to location.
Nearly 800 employees took part in the nineteenth day of industrial action yesterday (14 June), with almost 500 joining the picket line.
Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser, said: “The vote for six more months of strike action at Amazon Coventry shows these workers are in for the long haul. Almost 500 people on the picket line is incredible.”
Last week, the union withdrew its official bid for recognition and accused the internet retailer of “dirty tricks”.
GMB claimed it had exceeded the required number to gain recognition at the Coventry site but that Amazon had employed 1,000 extra people to stop it from doing so.
Gearing added: “Amazon call pull all the dirty tricks it wants; hiring extra staff to deny workers their right to a voice in the workplace is an obstacle, but it is not unsurmountable.
“These workers are angry. They know their rights and they will not go away.”
In January 2023, workers at the Coventry site became the first of the retailer’s UK staff to go on strike. At the time, the retailer, which has 75,000 employees in the UK, highlighted that its employees were offered comprehensive benefits worth thousands. This included private medical insurance, life assurance, subsidised meals and an employee discount.
