In the collective bargaining dispute with Amazon, the ver.di trade union called on workers in all ten German distribution centers to go on strike. The occasion is the bargain day “Prime Day” started by Amazon today.
Today it starts again, the annual bargain hunt at Amazon: This year’s “Prime Day” extends from July 11th to 12th, when the world’s largest online mail order company offers discounts on many products. Prime Day is one of Amazon’s most important sales days, along with Christmas sales and Cyber Week around Black Friday. Last year, the e-commerce giant turned over more than twelve billion dollars within 48 hours.
The fact that the trade union ver.di is calling for a strike at Amazon’s ten German distribution centers from today to Thursday is no coincidence, but calculation: according to ver.di, “Prime Day” is the reason for the warning strikes in Bad Hersfeld (two locations), Leipzig, Werne, Graben, Rheinberg, Koblenz, Dortmund, Achim and Winsen.
ver.di: Amazon employees are at a disadvantage
Amazon has repeatedly increased hourly wages in recent years and is now above the current minimum wage, strike leader Monika Di Silvestre announced today. “The company management would never have done that voluntarily without the pressure of the strikes.”
In fact, due to longer working hours and low or no special payments such as Christmas and holiday bonuses, the incomes of employees often remained several hundred euros below those of employees in companies bound by collective agreements.
At some locations, Amazon employees had already stopped work on Sunday. Yesterday afternoon, Amazon employees demonstrated in Hamburg for higher pay under the motto: “Make Amazon Pay! For good and healthy work at Amazon!” After a corresponding call from the trade union ver.di, they moved from the Veddel S-Bahn station to the Amazon distribution center on the Veddel.
Amazon refers to higher starting wages from September
The wage conflict at Amazon has been going on since 2013. For years, ver.di has been demanding, among other things, the recognition of the collective bargaining agreements in retail and mail order. However, the employees are treated as members of the logistics industry and earn less accordingly.
Amazon emphasizes that the company offers a progressive work environment with competitive wages. The company points out that the converted starting wage for logistics employees in Germany will be upwards of EUR 14 gross per hour from September, including bonus payments. After two years of service, the average annual gross salary is 37,000 euros. There are also extras and discounts.