Over 1,000 Amazon UK workers to strike on Black Friday
Amazon workers are set to strike on Black Friday in what unions say will be the biggest disruption in the company’s 30-year history, The Independent reports.
Around 1,150 workers at Amazon’s Coventry distribution warehouse will join the picket line in a row over pay and working conditions.
Unions say workers are tired of only “just about making ends meet” and “walking miles every day” in their roles.
The Coventry centre is one of the busiest in Amazon’s UK operations, one of only two similar sites, with concerns mounting about the strike’s impact on customers on what is typically one of the busiest days of the year.
Workers from the US, Germany and Italy are also expected to join the action which is part of what unions call a “global movement” for better pay and working conditions. Strikes are also expected to take part across the US and Europe.
It comes as millions of customers are expected to splash out on Black Friday sales on 24 November, with Amazon offering customers more days to shop deals than last year’s event.
But workers say the firm’s treatment of staff is not acceptable.
The GMB union, which represents workers, told The Independent staff were disappointed that Amazon bosses had refused to discuss pay and working conditions despite months of action.
“It’s a really simple ask,” a spokesperson told The Independent. “We want the company to sit down and start talking to us. It’s a reasonable request and Amazon bosses have refused to talk.
“It’s an appalling indictment on the company. It’s shameful that Amazon haven’t done this.”
GMB said the strike would have a “significant financial impact” on the business over a busy period.
But Amazon insisted the action would not affect customers. The company told The Independent: “There will be no disruption to customers. Our Coventry site does not directly serve customer orders.”
In response to workers’ concerns, it said it regularly reviewed pay to ensure it offered competitive wages and benefits.