Employees at some of Amazon’s e-commerce group’s German warehouses went on strike on Monday, the Verdi union said in a longer dispute with the American giant for higher wages and better working conditions, Reuters reports. Agerpres.
Germany is the world’s second largest market, after the United States, for Amazon, and Verdi, one of Germany’s largest service unions, has staged several protests at Amazon warehouses since 2013 over low wages and unsatisfactory working conditions. the work.
In a press release issued on Monday, Verdi said that the latest protest action was launched to demand a salary increase in line with the agreements agreed by the union with companies in the retail industry and mail orders in Germany. Without specifying the number of employees who responded to the strike call, Verdi said that employees at three Amazon warehouses in Saxony and Hesse will go on strike on Monday, the same day as All Saints’ Day in Germany. public holiday in some Länder. Employees at four other Amazon warehouses in Germany are due to go on strike on Tuesday morning, and the strikes will last between 24 hours and up to three days, Verdi said.
“It is unacceptable for a multi-billion dollar corporation that makes a lot of money to continue to refuse to pay employees the salary increases that other companies in the industry pay,” said Verdi union representative Orhan Akman.
The German union said it wanted Amazon to recognize the collective agreements agreed in the retail and mail order industry and also to reach an agreement on fair working conditions. In response, Amazon released a statement saying it offers excellent salaries, benefits and career opportunities.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it would guarantee a salary of 12 euros per hour for beginners in its German warehouses starting in July, which will increase to at least 12.50 euros per hour in the autumn. of 2022.
The salaries paid by Amazon are above the minimum wage in the German economy, which is currently 9.60 euros per hour. But the minimum wage in Germany is set to rise to 12 euros an hour if the parties forming the next governing coalition reach an agreement on the issue.
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