Amazon workers go on strike in Britain

Warehouse workers Amazon they went on strike Britain on Wednesday for the first time due to a dispute over wages and working conditions, adding to a series of labor protests across the country due to the rising cost of living.

Unionists at the retail giant voted to strike in Coventry, a city about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of London, near Birmingham.

Amanda Gearing, an organizer for the GMB union, stated that Amazon employees who worked under difficult conditions during the pandemic simply “they are trying to get decent wages”. Another issue is targets set by an algorithm that increase pressure on workers, he said.

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The union is asking for a higher wage increase than the one offered by the company, which it says is equivalent to an extra 50 pence (61 cents) an hour.

Amazonwhich operates 28 stores in United Kingdom, claimed the Coventry facility has 2,000 employees. The union indicated that 98% of those who voted decided to go on strike, and Amazon says that equates to just 178 employees.

The Seattle-based company says it offers “competitive salaries” between £10.50 and £11.45 an hour, depending on the location. He adds that that’s a 29% increase in the hourly minimum wage since 2018.

Amazon’s profits have skyrocketed during the pandemic but, like many other tech companies, the company has been reversing its recent expansion amid economic uncertainty. This month, he announced 18,000 layoffs.

Amazon employees are the latest to go on strike in Britain, where high food and energy prices have fueled the highest inflation in decades. Nurses, ambulance drivers, train drivers, border personnel, driving instructors, bus drivers, teachers and postal workers have gone on strike in recent months to demand higher wages amid the high cost of living crisis. .

Source: AP

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