- Title: GERMANY: Amazon workers in Germany strike for pay, benefits
- Date: 14th May 2013
- Summary: BANNER READING "WE ARE ON STRIKE" WORKERS HOLDING BANNER READING "WE ARE ON STRIKE"
- Embargoed: 29th May 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Business,Economy,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA1OPCZU3G7GEMIQXSCJ4TUIUV6
- Story Text: German labour union Verdi calls on workers at Amazon.com to stage a strike in the country to put pressure on the global internet retailer to improve pay and benefits.
Some 500 Amazon employees working for the global internet retailer in Germany went on strike on Tuesday (May 14) to demand better pay and improved job conditions.
Amazon employs around 9,000 people in Germany and has come under fire from trade union Verdi for refusing to implement a collective agreement on employment conditions, similar to other mail order and retail firms.
"We are counting on a dispute which could last for a while," said Verdi union representative Heiner Reimann.
"Amazon so far has shown that they are unwilling to negotiate. They are willing to talk but they are unwilling to negotiate. So we are preparing for an open-ended strike," Reimann added.
Amazon's German operations were not immediately available to comment.
The union is also pressing for higher basic pay and bigger supplements for night shifts.
Asked why he was on strike, Amazon employee Markus Herd said "There are a lot of reasons: it's about the working conditions here which need to be improved. Also, the salaries we have do not correspond with what we are entitled to."
According to Herd, "we had a considerable impact on setting this up here and what we receive is little."
Verdi said in a statement on Tuesday that the strike had been slated to start at 6 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) and would last until the end of the late shift.
In the eastern city of Leipzig, the union is calling for starting pay of 10.66 euros ($13.84) an hour, compared with 9.30 euros now.
In Bad Hersfeld, they want pay of 9.83 euro to be increased to 12.18. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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