Amazon sees UK warehouse protests and London HQ as union formation… | kbnmart

Digital retail giant Amazon is facing protests in a dispute over workers’ rights and union support at its warehouses across the UK this week.

Protests are taking place in locations across England, Wales and Scotland. The demonstrations come as Amazon warehouse workers in Coventry cast their first votes this week to force Amazon to recognise a union for the first time in the UK.

A separate demonstration outside its London headquarters included Kate Bell, assistant general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, along with Amazon workers and their supporters.

The Coventry vote comes after a three-week period in which union representatives were granted access to Amazon’s local fulfilment centre by the government’s central arbitration committee.

More than 3,000 workers will take part in the vote. If the majority vote yes, Amazon will be obliged to negotiate wages and terms and conditions with the GMB union. The voting period runs until July 13, with the results expected on July 15.

Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the British Mineworkers’ Union, claimed workers faced “poor pay and unsafe conditions”.

But an Amazon spokesperson said employees had the option to join a union or not, and that the company offered competitive pay and benefits. The minimum basic wage had been increased to £12.30 and £13 per hour depending on location.