Workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse have announced six new strike dates, as the GMB union prepares to test support for walkouts among staff at five other sites of the delivery company.
Strikes in the vast center of Coventry, known as BHX4, began in January, the first industrial action against Amazon in the UK. Staff require a payment of £15 per hour.
GMB claims to have signed up hundreds of new members among the workforce in Coventry and at Amazon sites further afield since the dispute began.
Amazon announced a new pay increase for all its UK staff earlier this month, but the union said this amounted to an average of just 1.8%-2.5%, describing it as “an insult”.
More than 560 workers are now expected to participate in two three-day strikes, one from April 16-18 and another from April 21-23. Previously fewer than 300 employees participated. The union believes it is approaching 50% membership that would allow it to apply for legal recognition.
Amanda Gearing, the main GMB organizer involved, said: “Industrial action is building and this could quickly turn into a summer of strike chaos for Amazon.
“Six more days of strike in Coventry is a clear statement from our members that they are worth more; they will not accept a penny raise from one of the richest corporations in the world.”
He called on the company to “urgently get serious and talk about paying with GMB now.”
GMB will also gauge strike appetite among other Amazon workers through advisory votes at five other distribution centers: Coalville and Kegworth, both in Leicestershire; Mansfield in Nottinghamshire; Rugeley in Staffordshire; and Rugby in Warwickshire.
If these votes yield positive results, formal strike votes could be held.
The dispute in Coventry began with an informal strike last summer, after staff were told they would receive a 50p-an-hour pay increase. Some felt this did not sufficiently acknowledge the fact that they had worked during the pandemic. By the end of April they will have taken 14 days of strike.
Staff picketing when the dispute began in January cited the rising cost of living, as well as a “stressful” target culture, to explain their decision to stop working.
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The strikers have received support from local MP Taiwo Owatemi, as well as US-based union activists who have been pushing for recognition on Amazon sites.
Amazon, which does not voluntarily recognize or negotiate with unions, has said the Coventry dispute involves less than 1% of its total UK workforce.
A spokesperson said: “We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages, and are pleased to announce another increase for our UK teams.
“Over the last seven months, our minimum starting salary has increased by 10% and more than 37% since 2018. We also work hard to provide excellent benefits, a positive work environment and great career opportunities.”
Amazon announced earlier this year that it would close three of its UK stores; but it is currently building two more, including one in Peddimore, in the West Midlands, which is expected to create 1,400 jobs, which the mayor, Andy Street, has hailed as “a huge vote of confidence”.
