This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25397316
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Amazon workers strike in Germany over pay | Amazon workers strike in Germany over pay |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Employees of the internet giant Amazon are taking strike action in Germany in a long-running pay dispute. | Employees of the internet giant Amazon are taking strike action in Germany in a long-running pay dispute. |
| The Verdi union said workers were on strike at Amazon's logistic centres in Bad Hersfeld and Leipzig and also in Graben. The action coincides with the busy Christmas shopping period. | |
| Amazon employs more than 9,000 workers in Germany. | Amazon employs more than 9,000 workers in Germany. |
| Later on Monday, a delegation of German workers will also protest at Amazon's headquarters in Seattle. | Later on Monday, a delegation of German workers will also protest at Amazon's headquarters in Seattle. |
| The union is planning further action on Tuesday in Germany in the town of Werne. | The union is planning further action on Tuesday in Germany in the town of Werne. |
| Amazon said 640 workers expected on the early shift had failed to turn up for work and that the industrial action would have little or no impact on orders: "Our customers can continue to rely on us for the prompt delivery of their Christmas presents," said a spokeswoman told Reuters. | |
| The union said up to 700 workers joined the strike in Bad Hersfeld and another 200 had taken action in Leipzig. | |
| The Verdi union added that action at the Graben site - the first strike at that plant - had been well supported. | |
| Classification row | |
| Amazon's sales in Germany are growing fast. Last year, they rose by 21% and the country is the firm's second-biggest market after the US, responsible for about a third of all overseas sales. | |
| Verdi has called a series of strikes this year in an attempt to get the company to accept collective bargaining agreements for its staff. | Verdi has called a series of strikes this year in an attempt to get the company to accept collective bargaining agreements for its staff. |
| It says Amazon is not paying them comparable rates to other warehouse staff in Germany, because the company has classified the staff as logistics workers, whose rates of pay are lower. | It says Amazon is not paying them comparable rates to other warehouse staff in Germany, because the company has classified the staff as logistics workers, whose rates of pay are lower. |
| Verdi said in a statement: "The Amazon system is characterised by low wages, permanent performance pressure and short-term contracts." | |
| Amazon says that they are well paid compared with other logistics workers in the country. | Amazon says that they are well paid compared with other logistics workers in the country. |
| The union is also unhappy with what it calls the company's practice of "constant monitoring" of workers and what it says are impossible workplace targets. | The union is also unhappy with what it calls the company's practice of "constant monitoring" of workers and what it says are impossible workplace targets. |
| Last month, an investigation by the BBC's Panorama programme into a UK-based Amazon warehouse found conditions a stress expert said could cause "mental and physical illness". | Last month, an investigation by the BBC's Panorama programme into a UK-based Amazon warehouse found conditions a stress expert said could cause "mental and physical illness". |
| Prof Michael Marmot was shown secret filming of night shifts involving up to 11 miles of walking at the warehouse - where an undercover worker was expected to collect orders every 33 seconds. | Prof Michael Marmot was shown secret filming of night shifts involving up to 11 miles of walking at the warehouse - where an undercover worker was expected to collect orders every 33 seconds. |
| Amazon told the BBC in a statement that worker safety was its "number one priority". | Amazon told the BBC in a statement that worker safety was its "number one priority". |