British Amazon employees recently enacted a historic strike, citing insufficient wages and strenuous labor conditions as their primary grievances. Darren Westwood, an Amazon warehouse worker who was part of the strikes, compared his treatment to robots when speaking with CNBC: “Someone said the other day that we’re being treated like robots—no, robots are being treated better.” The unfairness for these union workers is finally coming to light as they take action against exploitative working environments.
Amazon Employees Demand Better Conditions.
Nearly every GMB union worker at Amazon‘s Coventry supply center voted in favor of the strike, prompting their planned date to walk out – January 25. It is estimated that roughly 300 of the 1,000 workers will join this historic protest.
Amazon employees have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the current working conditions, citing long hours, increased injury rates, and a relentless work pace. They also accuse supervisors of questioning the need for breaks — all on top of an insufficient 50p ($0.56) hourly wage increase, which is below inflation. The demand now stands at £15 per hour instead of their current rate of £10.50 – it’s clear that they want to see tangible improvements to guarantee them fair wages and better treatment as workers.
Announces Only 1% of Employees on Strike.
Contrarily, Amazon provided statements in response to the strike. They noted that it only accounted for 1% of their UK workers. Additionally, they proclaimed wages have increased by a remarkable 29% since 2018 and gave out a one-time bonus payment of £500 as compensation for inflationary costs. Besides this, there were also perks such as private health insurance, life coverage benefits, cheap meals offered at subsidized rates, and discounts meant exclusively for employees at Amazon.