Amazon staff at new UK warehouse to strike on Jan. 25


FILE PHOTO: An Amazon logo is pictured at a logistics centre in Mannheim, Germany, September 17, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) -Workers at Amazon's new distribution centre in Birmingham, England have voted to join ongoing strike action at the company over pay and working conditions, the GMB trade union said on Tuesday.

Around 100 workers at the warehouse will take strike action on Jan. 25, said GMB, which has not been formally recognised by the U.S. e-commerce giant.

A spokesperson for Amazon said the strike would cause "zero disruption" to customers and that 19 union members out of 2,000 employees at the warehouse had voted in favour of industrial action.

The company, which employs 75,000 people in Britain, added that it planned to raise minimum starting pay to 12.30-13 pounds ($16-$17) an hour by April.

Minimum wage in Britain is set to rise to 11.44 pounds an hour from April.

Over the past year, hundreds of employees have walked out during previous strikes at another Amazon warehouse, in Coventry, central England without much disruption to Amazon's operations.

"The message from GMB members at Amazon is the same; recognise our union and end poverty pay," GMB Organiser Rachel Fagan said.

($1 = 0.7855 pounds)

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, writing by Muvija M)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

Explainer-Why OpenAI plans transition to public benefit corporation
US adds 9th telcom to list of companies hacked by Chinese-backed Salt Typhoon cyberespionage
Biden administration proposes new cybersecurity rules to limit impact of healthcare data leaks
Hackers hijack a wide range of companies' Chrome extensions, experts say
OpenAI outlines new for-profit structure in bid to stay ahead in costly AI race
Russia fines TikTok 3 million roubles over legal violations, court says
Taiwan's science ministry warns spending cuts could hit chips, AI funding
How they celebrated the holidays 250 miles above Earth
The speed of human thought lags far behind your Internet connection, study finds
The tale of 'Shatter Special', the world's first fully computerised comic book

Others Also Read