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| Amazon workers in Germany go on strike over pay | Amazon workers in Germany go on strike over pay |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Two-thousand workers at four Amazon warehouses in Germany have gone on strike until Tuesday in a dispute over pay and working conditions, according to the union Ver.di. | Two-thousand workers at four Amazon warehouses in Germany have gone on strike until Tuesday in a dispute over pay and working conditions, according to the union Ver.di. |
| The dispute centres on how Amazon classifies its warehouse staff. | The dispute centres on how Amazon classifies its warehouse staff. |
| Ver.di says: "Amazon pays wages which are lower than wages for staff in the retail or mail order trade in Germany". | |
| Amazon classifies them as logistics workers and says that their wage is in the "upper end of the scale". | Amazon classifies them as logistics workers and says that their wage is in the "upper end of the scale". |
| Staff at Amazon's plants at Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld, Graben and Rheinberg will be on strike until Tuesday. | Staff at Amazon's plants at Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld, Graben and Rheinberg will be on strike until Tuesday. |
| Amazon said in a statement: "Ver.di is calling for wages on the basis of a retail tariff. But Amazon's fulfilment centres are not shops frequented by customers. | Amazon said in a statement: "Ver.di is calling for wages on the basis of a retail tariff. But Amazon's fulfilment centres are not shops frequented by customers. |
| "Staff in our fulfilment centres work within the logistics sector, not retail." | "Staff in our fulfilment centres work within the logistics sector, not retail." |
| Responding to Amazon's comments, a Ver.di spokesperson said: "The work at the fulfilment centre at Amazon is a classical part of the mail-order trade and therefore a classical part of the retail trade. | Responding to Amazon's comments, a Ver.di spokesperson said: "The work at the fulfilment centre at Amazon is a classical part of the mail-order trade and therefore a classical part of the retail trade. |
| "Amazon's discourse about logistics is only to try to camouflage that Amazon is not willing to accept any collective bargaining agreement at all. | "Amazon's discourse about logistics is only to try to camouflage that Amazon is not willing to accept any collective bargaining agreement at all. |
| "Amazon wants to dictate unilaterally the working conditions, but the employees are not willing to accept that anymore." | "Amazon wants to dictate unilaterally the working conditions, but the employees are not willing to accept that anymore." |
| Ver.di say wages are not comparable to other warehouse staff in the country. | Ver.di say wages are not comparable to other warehouse staff in the country. |
| Amazon employs more than 9,000 people in Germany. The German market is Amazon's second-biggest market behind the US. | Amazon employs more than 9,000 people in Germany. The German market is Amazon's second-biggest market behind the US. |
| Hundreds of Amazon staff walked out during the Christmas period in 2013. | Hundreds of Amazon staff walked out during the Christmas period in 2013. |