Hundreds of Amazon workers at a warehouse in Tilbury in southeast England have walked out in protest over pay, the trade union GMB said, the latest sign of labour force discontent as the rising cost-of-living sparks strikes across sectors.
Amazon, which dominates the online retail marketplace, has
faced criticism from workers in many countries over pay and conditions.
"Amazon continues to reject working with trade unions
to deliver better working conditions and fair pay. Their repeated use of
short-term contracts is designed to undermine worker's rights," the union
said on Thursday.
GMB said 800 workers walked out of the warehouse on
Wednesday and Thursday over a 35 pence per hour pay increase, with the union
seeking a two pound ($2.44 or nearly Rs. 195) rise to cope with the higher cost
of living and to better match the demands of the role.
The US tech giant, which has 70,000 workers in the UK, said
starting pay would increase to a minimum of between 10.50 pounds an hour and
11.45 pounds in an e-mail.
Workers from across industries, including railway, airline
and telecommunication, have staged strikes in recent months in Britain as wage
increases lag the rise in the price of goods.
In May, the US Vice President Kamala Harris and Labour
Secretary Marty Walsh met with union organizers at the White House to boost
unionisation campaigns.
Participants in the meeting, which featured an unscheduled
appearance by President Joe Biden, discussed organisers' efforts to form unions
in their workplaces, and how those could prompt workers around the country to
mount similar organisation campaigns, according to a readout from the White
House. Biden thanked them for bolstering organising momentum that is growing
nationally.
Among the guests were Chris Smalls, who heads the Amazon
Labor Union that won a vote last month to unionize warehouse workers on Staten
Island, New York.