Amazon workers in UK to stage first ever strike over pay in January

Amazon workers will walkout on strike for the first time later this month, it has been announced.

It comes after it was revealed by ITV News that staff at one of the company's vast warehouses in Coventry had voted to down tools in a dispute over pay.

The ballot, which was held among around 300 workers at the Coventry warehouse, saw a 63% turnout - well above the necessary threshold, with 98% voting to strike. Although it is small, it is unprecedented for the tech giant in the UK.

Members of the GMB union based at the warehouse will walk out on January 25.

The move comes after staff reacted angrily to a 50p per hour pay rise in the summer - equivalent to 5% and well below inflation.

Last month an Amazon worker told Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana why he was striking

Amazon worker Darren Westwood described the firms previous offer - raising pay from £9.96 to £10.56 an hour - as a "smack in the teeth" - particularly after the effort workers put in through the pandemic.

"It made us feel so unappreciated. When I used to come to work during the pandemic, my kids used to cry," he said.

Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser, said: “Amazon workers in Coventry are set to make history on January 25, becoming the first ever Amazon workers in the UK to go on strike.

“They’ve shown they’re willing to put themselves on the line to fight for what’s right.

“But people working for one of the most valuable companies in the world shouldn’t have to threaten strike action just to win a wage they can live on.

“GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to give workers a proper pay rise and avoid industrial action.”

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