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Amazon workers in Coventry pull union recognition request
https://www.whatjobs.com/news/united-kingdom/uk-employment-news/amazon-workers-in-coventry-pull-union-recognition-request
By Nagasunder in Amazon News, posted June 9, 2023
Amazon workers in Coventry have decided to withdraw their bid for formal union recognition and have accused the tech giant of engaging in underhanded tactics.
The request was made to the independent central arbitration committee (CAC) last month following a series of strikes over pay disagreements at the warehouse.
If successful, this would have marked the first instance of workers at an Amazon site in the UK achieving trade union recognition.
Read More: Amazon UK could be forced to recognise first union
The GMB union's membership had risen to 800, which it believed represented over half of the warehouse staff—meeting the typical threshold for statutory union recognition in a workplace.
However, Amazon countered the claim by stating it had 2,700 employees in the warehouse.
The company was accused of "flooding" the facility with approximately 1,000 new workers since the strike action commenced.
Read More: Amazon UK warehouse closures put 1,200 jobs at risk
The GMB senior organizer, Stuart Richards, claimed the influx of employees seemed to be a direct response to the union's growing membership approaching the threshold for recognition.
He said: “GMB believes this was purely in response to GMB membership growing so close to the threshold for statutory union recognition.
“GMB has expressed serious concerns to the CAC both about the accuracy of the information Amazon has given to the committee – and what we believe are immoral anti-union tactics.
“While we have no alternative but to withdraw the application for statutory recognition, but we’re not going away.
“GMB members at Amazon are not giving up the fight for a wage they can live off and they won’t give up the fight for union recognition.”
Richards further expressed concerns about the accuracy of the information provided by Amazon to the CAC, as well as what the union sees as unethical anti-union tactics.
While the GMB is compelled to withdraw the application for statutory recognition, it affirms its commitment to continue fighting for fair wages and union recognition on behalf of its members at Amazon.
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In March, Amazon implemented a pay increase of 50p per hour, raising the minimum pay for warehouse workers to £11.
However, striking employees considered this raise as "insulting." The strikes by warehouse staff in Coventry began in January, with GMB members in the West Midlands demanding a minimum wage of at least £15 per hour to cope with the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Additional strike actions at the Coventry warehouse are scheduled to take place on June 12th, 13th, and 14th.
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