The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
Amazon Inc workers will stage a week-long strike at a warehouse in Coventry, UK, next month in a dispute over pay, according to trade union GMB.
The walkout is timed to maximise disruption for Easter weekend and slow product delivery, a GMB spokesperson told Bloomberg. It follows a day-long strike at the warehouse late last month, a first for Amazon workers in the UK.
The union said that more than 350 workers, about a quarter of the total Coventry workforce but a tiny fraction of the company’s 75,000 UK employees, are prepared to walk out for seven days in total: on February 28, March 2 and March 13 to 17. They are calling for their hourly pay to be increased from £10.50 ($12.80) to £15, said GMB.
“It’s sickening that Amazon workers in Coventry will earn just 8 pence above national minimum wage in April 2023,†said GMB Senior Organizer Amanda Gearing. “Amazon bosses can stop this industrial action by doing the right thing and negotiating a proper pay rise with workers.â€
A representative from Amazon said the company offers competitive pay, which has risen by 29% since 2018, as well as other benefits.