Amazon workers in a warehouse in Coventry have gone on strike today, making for the first time ever the company's staff has staged a walkout in the UK. It comes following a ballot, which closed on December 16, 2022 and saw a majority of more than 98% of workers vote to strike.
Hundreds of Amazon workers at the fulfilment centre have voted to walk out in anger over the company's 50p per hour pay offer, while Amazon UK Services Limited reported that it paid just £10.8million in tax in 2021, despite recording a pre-tax profit of £204million, according to GMB Union.
Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser, said: “Amazon workers in Coventry are set to make history becoming the first ever Amazon workers in the UK to go on strike. They've shown they’re willing to put themselves on the line to fighting for what’s right.
Read more: How much do nurses get paid in Bristol and which NHS Trusts are striking
"But people working for one of the most valuable companies in the world shouldn’t have to threaten strike action just to win a wage they can live on. GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to give workers a proper pay rise and avoid industrial action altogether.”
With the first ever Amazon strike in the UK taking place today (Wednesday, January 25) and more dates to be announced in the coming weeks, many customers up and down the country are wondering whether deliveries and other Amazon services may be affected. Here is everything we know so far...
Why are Amazon workers striking?
Amazon workers at the Coventry site are striking for a number of reasons, the main one being pay - Amazon offered workers a 50p pay rise last August but this was rejected as, at a five percent increase, would have been far below inflation. Others include better work conditions as some staff have commented that "robots are treated better" than they are, as well as 'stresses unique to their warehouses' including repetitive labour to the computerised face-recognition surveillance and high injury rates at work, the Evening Standard reports.
With pay rates at Amazon varying from location to location, the minimum a worker can earn is somewhere between £10.50 and £11.45 an hour. However unions are demanding a 29% increase to this (since 2018).
In a tweet this morning, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was in solidarity with the GMB Union members 'making history'. He added: "It takes an Amazon warehouse worker more than eight weeks to earn what CEO Jeff Bezos makes in a single second."
Will Amazon deliveries be affected by the strike on January 25?
Amazon has said that the strike will have "zero impact" on its customers, adding that normal operations will continue as the strike is currently only at the Coventry site.
Read next:
