A freedom of information request by GMB found that ambulances were called to the Coventry site 59 times between September 2018 and October 2021 for reasons including burns and traumatic injuries. On working conditions, Mr Westwood described how Amazon demanded that workers hit a particular rate when packing boxes - but didn't tell them the required rate until halfway through, or sometimes after their shift.Īmazon has also been criticised for a high number of ambulance call-outs to its sites. They said that was a 29% increase since 2018 and said there were many other benefits such as private medical insurance. But they insisted that they were proud to offer "competitive pay which starts at a minimum of between £10.50 and £11.45 per hour, depending on location". He said colleagues were struggling to pay bills, with some forced to turn to food banks.Īmazon told ITV News that they appreciated the "great work" their teams put in through the year, and announced a one-off special payment of up to £500 as an "extra thank you". He said he worked for "one of the richest men in the world one of the richest companies in the world" adding "and they're saying I can only have 50 pence?" Mr Westwood also criticised working conditions in the warehouse, claiming that there were incidents of fainting because people spent so long on their feet. 'It made us feel so unappreciated': Amazon worker Darren Westwood described the offer, raising pay from £9.96 to £10.56 an hour, as a 'smack in the teeth' It's not too late to avoid strike action get round the table to improve the pay and conditions of workers." ![]() They should be applauded for their grit and determination, fighting what's right in the face of an appallingly hostile environment. "They will be the first ever in the UK to take part in a formal strike. The walkout is likely to take place in January after staff reacted angrily to a 50p per hour pay rise in the summer - equivalent to 5% and well below inflation.Īmanda Gearing, a senior organiser for the union GMB, said the workers had "made history" by organising within this warehouse. But instead of supporting its workers, communities and the planet, Amazon is squeezing every last drop it can.” The campaign calls upon Amazon to pay its share of global income taxes, which it did not pay in Europe in 2021 and has never paid in the United States - even as its received many additional tax credits from governments as it built its network of warehouses.An Amazon worker tells Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana why he's strikingĪmazon workers have voted to go on strike for the first time ever in the UK after a ballot at one of the company's vast warehouses in Coventry. ![]() “And for everyone, the global temperature is rising and our planet is under stress. “For workers and consumers, the price of everything is going up,” the campaign website states. Friday’s actions include walkouts, strikes, and forms of protest from thousands of Amazon warehouse workers across 40 countries and five continents on Black Friday, the unofficial kick off of the holiday shopping season. ![]() ![]() It calls upon Amazon to increase worker pay and stop busting warehouse employees’ efforts to unionize, as well as improve its environmental impact. The strike was organized under “Make Amazon Pay,” an international campaign coordinated among trade unions, climate justice groups, and labor rights organizations. Amazon warehouse workershave walked off the job on one of the busiest shopping days of the year to demand higher wages and better working conditions from the online retail giant.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |