Amazon workers to strike for four days in November including Black Friday
Workers at Amazon’s site in Coventry will strike for four days next month including Black Friday in a dispute over pay, the GMB union has said.
Members of the GMB union will walk out on 7, 8 and 9 November as well as on 24 November, when Amazon runs Black Friday deals.
The union said it will be the biggest day of strike action in Amazon’s history, involving more than 1,000 workers.
These fresh strike dates will bring total days lost to industrial action to nearly 30, GMB said.
“This is our members’ response to the failure of Amazon bosses to listen,” Rachel Fagan, GMB organiser, said.
“Coventry is the beating heart of Amazon’s distribution network. Strike action here on Black Friday will ripple throughout the company’s UK logistics.
“As Black Friday looms, Amazon must urgently reconsider their priorities or risk strike action causing widespread disruption to customers and the public.”
The strike announcement comes after the union called on Amazon to “do better” following the firm’s confirmation of a pay rise for UK employees.
Responding to the pay increase yesterday, Ms Fagan said: “This news will bring little comfort to the thousands of Amazon workers facing poverty pay, unsafe working conditions and workplace surveillance.
“Amazon has spent millions fighting their own workers over union rights and fair pay.
“GMB members have forced a pay rise from one of the world’s most powerful corporations – but Amazon can and must do better.”
The minimum starting pay for frontline operations employees at Amazon will rise to between £11.80 and £12.50 per hour, depending on location, the company confirmed on Monday.
This increase in starting pay for all full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal roles, will be effective from 15 October.
Minimum starting pay will increase further next April to between £12.30 and £13 an hour, depending on location.
Around 300 staff walked out at the Amazon’s Coventry warehouse in January during the first-ever strike by the firm’s UK employees.
At the time, Amazon said only “a tiny proportion of our workforce are involved”.
