Workers at Amazon’s Coventry fulfilment centre in the United Kingdom have announced a week-long strike on 28 February, 2 March and from 13 to 17 March.
More than 350 employees, organizing with UNI affiliate GMB, are planning to walk off the job. These GMB members made history on 25 January when they became the first Amazon workers in the country to strike. Workers want Amazon management to recognize their union and negotiate a fair wage, which they say is at least £15 per hour.
“This unprecedented week-long strike shows the anger among Amazon workers in Coventry. They work for one of the richest companies in the world, yet they have to work round the clock to keep themselves afloat,” said Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organizer. “It’s sickening that Amazon workers in Coventry will earn just 8 pence above the [national minimum wage] in April 2023. Amazon bosses can stop this industrial action by doing the right thing and negotiating a proper pay rise with workers.”
The GMB, part of the UNI Amazon Global Union Alliance, has been a long-time advocate for improving working conditions at Amazon.
“The problems at Coventry are not limited to just one warehouse; they are global,” said Mathias Bolton Head of Commerce, UNI Global Union. “That is why workers around the world are standing in solidarity with these GMB members. Together, we will win. Together, we will make amazon pay a decent wage.”