On Monday, Amazon declared that it would raise the base pay for its frontline operations employees to between £11.80 ($14.39) and £12.50 an hour, based on region. Over the next three years, the company said, it will raise wages again to a range between £12.30 and £13 per hour, contingent on the location. In response, GMB Union commented that this news offered "little comfort" to Amazon workers, since they are contending with low pay, hazardous working conditions, and tracking in the workplace.
Amazon said Monday that it will raise the base pay for its frontline operations workers, who pick, pack, store and ship items in its warehouses, to between £11.80 and £12.50 per hour, depending on the location. The pay hike applies to all full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal roles, and goes into effect October 15. The company also plans to up the minimum wage further by April 2024, with workers earning between £12.30 and £13 per hour, depending on their locality. Additionally, over 15,000 extra seasonal employees are to be taken on at Amazon sites in the U.K., representing an investment of £170 million by the web retailer in its personnel's wages. Amazon declared that the minimum starting pay in its U.K. operations has risen by 50% since 2018 and 20% over the past two years.
John Boumphrey, Amazon's U.K. country manager, stated, “We have some of the most talented colleagues around, and we're proud to offer them competitive wages and benefits, as well as fantastic opportunities for career development, all in a safe and modern work environment. These are just some of the reasons people want to work at Amazon - whether it's their first job, a seasonal role or an opportunity for them to advance their career.”
The GMB Union, however, argued that the development brings "little comfort" to Amazon workers enduring poverty wages, hazardous work settings and monitoring. Rachel Fagan, a GMB organizer, commented, “Amazon has spent millions fighting their own workers over union rights and fair pay. GMB members have forced a pay raise from one of the world's most powerful corporations - but Amazon can and must do better.”
Amazon is actively responding to the grievances of warehouse employees at its core operations who have been protesting low wages and poor working conditions. In January, Britain's Coventry fulfillment centers workers organized the company's first ever officially mandated walkout, and alongside GMB Union, they applied for union recognition. This development is in tandem with the increasing number of Amazon employees who are uniting to unionize. In Coventry, employees expressed dissatisfaction over the meager increase they received in their wages. They also petitioned for formal union recognition to enable them to unionize and bargain collectively. Unluckily, their campaign suffered a setback when an independent arbitration group ruled in Amazon's favor, declaring that the workers were without the required support to get union status. Nonetheless, in the US, a group of workers in Staten Island became the first to vote for unionization at an Amazon facility. Amazon has traditionally been averse to unionization attempts in the US, but its latest bid to recruit an additional 250,000 employees in preparation for the peak holiday season may be a signal of its agreeability to unions. Despite the enthusiasm from union advocates, globally, unionization has yet to gain traction.
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