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Germany strikes again over Amazon warehouse pay
Employees to walk out in long-running wage dispute
German union Verdi has not given up on the hopes that striking at Amazon warehouses will change the mega-etailer’s mind about pay.
Verdi wants workers at distribution centres in Bad Hersfeld, Leipzig, Graben, and Rheinberg to walk out as it continues its agitation over pay and working conditions.
"Amazon still refuses to recognise the legally guaranteed in Germany right of workers to a collective agreement,” said Stefanie Nutzenberger, Verdi trade representative, in a canned statement (translated by Google).
“But the employees will not ease up the pressure. They have the stamina and the fight to ensure that you meet their work with respect.”
The trade union said that the small increase in wages it had already won was a result of employee pressure.
“But we will not accept the company’s arbitrarily dictated wages. Only a collective agreement guarantees the existence of secure income and working conditions for workers,” Nutzenberger added.
Verdi has staged ongoing strikes on behalf of the 9,000 or so workers at nine warehouses across Germany, arguing that their work comes under collective bargaining rules from the mail order and retail industries in the country.
Amazon maintains that its distribution centre workers fall under the logistics industry segment and that their wages are above average for that sector. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
