Hundreds of Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center workers Britain plans to go on strike on Wednesday as part of an unprecedented industrial action by British company employees.
GMB union members working in retailer Coventry’s warehouses called for the vote in December after Amazon offered a wage increase of 50 cents an hour. About 98% of workers who voted supported the strike.
“After six months of ignoring all requests to listen to workers’ concerns, GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to do the right thing and give workers the raise they deserve,” said Stuart Richards, GMB’s principal organizer, in a statement.
An Amazon spokesperson countered that the company had dismissed the concerns, saying the strike would have “no impact” on customers.. “We are proud to offer competitive wages from a minimum of between £10.50 and £11.45 per hour depending on location,” they said in a statement.
The minimum living wage in the UK, for adults aged 23 and over, will increase from £9.50 to £10.42 in April.
Wednesday’s strike follows a series of informal strikes at warehouses across the UK last year, following the announcement of a pay rise.
Mass layoffs
While the UK strike is significant as the first of its kind in the country for Amazon, it is just one of many significant challenges facing the Seattle-based e-commerce giant. It announced earlier this month that it plans to cut more than 18,000 jobs, representing about 1% of total employees, in the largest round of layoffs in its history.
Companies are adjusting to a drastic slowdown in online shopping as consumers return to pre-pandemic habits and has postponed store openings and halted hiring in its retail division. In the UK, it has announced that it plans to close three stores this year, in an operation that will affect around 1,200 employees.
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