For the First Time Hundreds of Amazon Workers Will Go On Formal Strike in the UK

CNBC reports:

Hundreds of Amazon workers will go on strike, Britain's GMB union said Friday, marking a first for the company's employees in the U.K. Employees at Amazon's Coventry warehouse in central England voted Friday to go on strike, with the walkout likely to happen in January 2023. Roughly 1,000 people work at the Coventry facility.

The workers are unhappy with a pay increase of 3%, or 50 pence per hour, Amazon introduced in the summer, which they say fails to match the rising cost of living. They want Amazon to pay a minimum of £15 an hour [roughly $18.22 USD].... Around 98% of the workers who turned out to vote opted to go on strike on a turnout of more than 63%.

In an emailed statement to CNBC, an Amazon spokesperson said: 'We appreciate the great work our teams do throughout the year and we're proud to offer competitive pay which starts at a minimum of between £10.50 [$12.75] and £11.45 [$13.90] per hour, depending on location. This represents a 29 per cent increase in the minimum hourly wage paid to Amazon employees since 2018.'
Amazon also cited benefits they offer, adding 'On top of this, we're pleased to have announced that full-time, part-time and seasonal frontline employees will receive an additional one-time special payment of up to £500 [up to $670 USD] as an extra thank you.'

GMB's senior organizer argues that 'Amazon can afford to do better,' writes CNBC. 'It's not too late to avoid strike action; get round the table with GMB to improve the pay and conditions of workers.'

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