Hundreds of Amazon workers in the United Kingdom’s warehouse staged a walkout in the first-ever strike to reject 50 pence pay rise on Wednesday.
Members of the GMB union who work at the company’s fulfilment centre in Coventry held industrial action as they demanded a wage increase amid big rises in the cost of living, according to Daily Mail.
The union workers voted in December after they claimed to have been offered a “pathetic” 50p-an-hour rise from the firm which made £204m in profits in 2021.
Amazon has said it offers “competitive pay” and that only a “tiny proportion” of its UK workforce is involved in the strike with deliveries not being affected.
It is the first time Jeff Bezos’s company’s workers have held industrial action in the UK, following on from similar strikes in the United States and Germany.
A fulfilment centre is a warehouse where goods are packed and dispatched to fulfil orders.
While speaking ahead of Wednesday’s demonstration, Stuart Richards, GMB senior organiser, said: “ “Today, Amazon workers in Coventry will make history.
“They’ve defied the odds to become the first ever Amazon workers in the UK to go on strike.
“They’re taking on one of the world’s biggest companies to fight for a decent standard of living. They should be rightly proud of themselves.”
