Amazon workers in Coventry are demanding formal union recognition after membership more than doubled amid recent industrial action.
Trade union GMB has revealed over 700 Amazon workers are now members, which is more than half of the workers at its Coventry site, the usual threshold for mandatory union recognition in a workplace.
It comes after two weeks of strike action by workers at the fulfilment centre over “pay rise of pennies”.
According to the trade union, bosses at the ecommerce giant have 10 days to respond and agree to voluntarily recognise the union.
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However, if this does not happen, the trade union has said it will start a statutory process through the Central Arbitration Committee.
This would be the first-time a UK Amazon site have won recognition of a trade union for collective bargaining over pay.
“GMB members have been crystal clear since the start of their campaign; they will not accept a pay rise of pennies from one of the world’s wealthiest corporations,” GMB senior organiser Amanda Gearing said.
“After weeks of campaigning and 14 strike days, they’ve built the power of their union on site and are now in a position to file for recognition.
“Amazon top brass has refused to negotiate and now their own workers have forced them to the table.”
Gearing added: “With industrial actions ballots under way in five further Amazon depots and more and more Amazon workers joining GMB, managers fast risk this becoming a summer of strike chaos for the company.
“The time has come for Amazon to sit down and talk pay with GMB Union”.
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