Amazon workers in UK launch fight for union recognition

Amazon workers are trying to unionise at a big warehouse in the UK, as the company’s standoff with labour trade unions enters a new front.

The GMB union officially applied for recognition on Friday on behalf of its members at a distribution centre in Coventry, in England’s west midlands. If successful, it would be the first British union to win the right to negotiate with the US technology company.

Amazon workers in Coventry have already held strikes in protest against pay rises that fall below the UK’s stubbornly high level of inflation. Staff at two other warehouses are also being balloted for potential industrial action.

Still, by formally unionising, workers in Coventry would increase their bargaining power through direct negotiations over pay and the right to have union representatives within the warehouse.

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It echoes a long-running battle in the US where Amazon has challenged widespread attempts at unionisation. Last year, staff at a New York fulfilment centre won a surprise victory in their fight for greater labour rights. However, it remains the only unionised Amazon facility in the US.

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Amanda Gearing, a senior organiser for the GMB, said Amazon had “flat-out refused” to negotiate pay with the union, a key reason for pursuing official recognition. She said more than 700 workers in Coventry were members of the GMB, passing a threshold of 51% needed to be recognised as a union.

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Amazon employs around 75,000 workers across the UK as a whole.

The GMB started the process by writing to the central arbitration committee, an official tribunal body that deals with workplace disputes. The row could run on for months, including time for Amazon to challenge the application.

“It’s going to be a bit of a pass or fail for Amazon I think,” said Blair Adams, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood LLP who specialises in employment law. “If the GMB have got the relevant thresholds for support, I can’t see why they won’t get recognition.”

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The GMB is also balloting members at Amazon warehouses in Rugeley and Mansfield for strike action at those sites. The result of the ballots is due on June 9th.

“Amazon respects our employees’ rights to join, or not to join, a union,” said a spokesperson for the company in an emailed statement. “We offer competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, opportunities for career growth, all while working in a safe, modern, work environment.” - Bloomberg