Amazon workers in a Coventry warehouse have announced an initial strike date. The first ever Amazon UK strike is set to take place on the 25 the of January, with further dates to likely be announced in the coming weeks.
Hundreds of Amazon workers at the fulfilment centre have voted to walk out in anger over the company’s 50 pence per hour pay offer. The ballot, which closed on the 16 of December 2022, saw a majority of more than 98% of workers vote to strike.
The GMB say that workers want a pay rise in the region of 50%, taking pay to around £15 an hour.
Amazon say that pay rates, depending on location, starting at a minimum of between £10.50 and £11.45 per hour represented a 29% increase in the minimum hourly wage paid to Amazon employees since 2018. Employees are also offered comprehensive benefits that are worth thousands more – including private medical insurance, life assurance, subsidised meals and an employee discount.
Amazon workers in Coventry are set to make history on 25 January, 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. 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.
– Amanda Gearing, Senior Organiser, GMB
Amazon UK strike impact will be zero
The impact of the first Amazon UK strike on consumers will be precisely zero. The Coventry warehouse doesn’t fulfil a single order directly to Amazon customers, and instead is a distribution centre which acts as a supply depot for other Amazon fulfilment centres. Yes, some stock may be delayed moving into fulfilment centres and available for sale, but if you buy something on Amazon you can be guaranteed that it will be delivered by the promised date – generally next day for Prime orders.
