The ver.di trade union has called for Amazon workers in Germany to strike for 48 hours, in a bid to accelerate wage negotiations with the retail giant. The union has been pressing for a collective bargaining agreement for Amazon employees since 2013.
The strike will take place at six locations across Germany, including two Amazon centres in Bad Hersfeld, as well as those in Leipzig, Rheinberg, Werne and Koblenz. It will begin with the Monday night shift and last 48 hours.
The trade union is pushing for a collective bargaining agreement for “good and healthy” work. “We are stepping up the pace because up to this point Amazon has not shown any insight and is endangering the health of employees in favour of profit,” said Orhan Akman, who is responsible for the retail and mail-order industries at the union.
Akman mentioned that “at least 30 or 40 colleagues” were affected by a coronavirus outbreak at the two Amazon distribution centres in Bad Hersfeld, although Amazon denies that the outbreaks happened.
Amazon currently employees 13.000 permanent workers across 13 logistic centres in Germany, as well as seasonal workers. It has been embroiled in a wage dispute with ver.di since 2013, with the retail giant repeatedly rejecting the union's demands for a collective bargaining agreement. Amazon insists that it is already a "fair and responsible employer".
The international company maintains that its employees are already given everything the union is demanding: “What the union describes as an objective has long been a reality for Amazon employees: Wages at the upper end of what is paid for comparable activities, development opportunities for many people and, above all, a safe working environment,” said a spokesperson for the company.