Amazon workers in the UK go on strike
The first legal strike by Amazon employees in the UK began today. The union, which is a member of Amazon workers in the Coventry region, had decided to go on strike in recent months. Amazon has a total of 75,000 employees in the UK.
GMB union members went on strike at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse demanding a wage increase, which they called ridiculous. Speaking to the BBC, the workers complained about the harsh working conditions, saying they were constantly watched and scolded for just a few minutes of free time.
In August, Amazon offered workers a pay raise of £0.50 an hour. “We appreciate the great work our teams have put in throughout the year and are proud to offer a competitive wage of at least £10.50 to £11.45 per hour,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
THEY DID NOT AGREE WITH THE TIME
The company said it received a 29 per cent increase in the lowest hourly wage paid to Amazon employees since 2018. The workers demanded £15 an hour. Amazon workers said the offer of a £0.50 increase was an insult.
Darren Westwood, GMB member, said: “These people worked for two years during the epidemic when Amazon shares soared. They saw that the gain had become unimaginable.”
ROBOTS ARE BETTER TREATED
Two Amazon employees, who are members of GMB, also complained about the conditions, saying “the robots in the warehouse are treated better than we are.” When workers Darren Westwood and Garfield Hilton went to the bathroom, the managers asked, “What were you doing?” He said they were asked questions.
Company spokespersons, on the other hand, said Amazon has a system that “recognizes excellent performance,” saying, “We offer incentives to help employees improve if they don’t meet their performance targets.”
“We don’t want Jeff Bezos’ ship or his rockets,” said Westwood, an Amazon worker. We just want to be able to live. “I just want to be able to pay my bills,” he said.
‘We don’t want a rocket’
Amazon’s global sales and profits increased sharply during the Covid-19 restrictions. The company’s profits nearly doubled between 2019 and 2020, reaching $21.3 billion and rising to $33.3 billion the following year.
However, with the economies reopening, Amazon, which has hired thousands of people since 2019, has decided to lay off 18,000 workers worldwide.