"A game changing moment in the campaign"
A second Amazon warehouse in the UK has voted to take industrial action, in a ‘game changing moment’ for the battle against the delivery giant.
Workers at Amazon Rugeley voted by 86 per cent to back strike action, which will include more that 100 workers at their fulfilment centre.
Stuart Richards, GMB union senior organiser, called it a, ‘game changing moment in the campaign to force Amazon to treat its workers like human beings’.
“They’ve thrown everything at stopping this, but workers at Amazon Rugeley have organised and delivered a clear message that they demand fair pay and union rights,” praised Richards.
“We’ve seen one of the worlds wealthiest companies, offering UK workers a pay rise of pennies and work conditions fit only for the history books.
“It’s staggering that Amazon are still trousering millions from the British taxpayer whilst treating UK workers with disdain.”
Research by the union and data provider Trussell found a record-breaking £222 million in taxpayer money had been spent on Amazon in the last year, representing a 69% rise on the year before.
Richards called on politicians and decision makers to ‘confront the facts’ and asked why the ‘public purse should be open to Amazon’, when workers were being ‘forced to the breadline by low pay’.
Union membership at the Coventry warehouse reached over 1,000 during their strike action last week, pushing their way closer to reaching over the necessary 50% threshold to achieve union recognition.
Speaking to LFF during the Prime week strikes, Richards said their new goal was to reach 1,350 members, since Amazon released new figures after boosting the workforce, in a move blasted by the union as an attempt to undermine workers’ initial attempt for union recognition.
He told LFF it had been ‘absolutely amazing’ to watch the movement grow from the grassroots wildcat strikes last summer, into the swell of movement and international recognition Amazon workers in the UK have now achieved.
Staff are asking for a wage increase to £15 an hour as well as union rights, as the company continues to refuse to recognise the union.
Amazon workers have shared stories of pawning their items, using foodbanks and taking second jobs whilst working overtime to cope with the cost-of-living crisis. They are asking to be treated as ‘humans not robots’ from their employer, who represents one of the world’s wealthiest corporations.
Workers at the Rugeley site will now decide on future strike dates.
(Photo credit: Stuart Perry / GMB)
Hannah Davenport is trade union reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward’s trade union reporting is supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust
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