The workers are striking because of their dissatisfaction with the wage increase that Amazon gave, which was only 50 pence ($0.56 cents) per hour
Hundreds of Amazon workers have gone on strike in Britain. This is the first formal industrial action that has occurred in this region against the American company founded by Jeff Bezos.
The full-day strike began on Wednesday just after midnight. Protesters plan to protest outside the company’s premises in the central English city of Coventry throughout Wednesday.
At 6:00 a.m. m. London time, workers were photographed camping out by a campfire and waving union flags outside the Coventry site near Birmingham airport, known as BHX4.
The workers carried a banner reading ‘Fight for £15’ and encouraged joining the GMB union. Another fence post read “You’re Burning the Wrong Amazon,” a joking reference to the company’s name and tropical South America.
£15 sterling is equivalent to about $18.60 at current exchange rates.
The GMB Union, which represents the workers involved in the strike, said it expects 300 employees out of a total of 1,000 at the plant to attend the strike.
The workers plan to hold a larger-scale demonstration starting at 4:00 p.m. m. until 8:00 p.m. m. London time.
The workers are striking because of their dissatisfaction with the wage increase that Amazon gave, which was only 50 pence ($0.56 cents) per hour, an increase equal to 5% and significantly less than the rate of inflation.
Amazon implemented the wage increase last summer. But warehouse workers say it’s not in line with the rising cost of living and are calling for the company to pay a minimum of £15 an hour.
An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the staff involved represent only a fraction of 1% of its UK employees.
The spokesperson also said that UK Amazon warehouse worker pay has risen 29% since 2018, noting a one-time £500 payment made to staff to help with the cost of shipping crisis. life.
Wednesday’s action is the first legally mandated strike to take place in the UK.