Two UK warehouses back industrial strike against Amazon
The ballots at Rugeley and Mansfield will begin on 12 May and run for four weeks until 9 June
Workers in Amazon’s Mansfield and Rugeley fulfilment centres will now take part in a binding vote on strike action today (5 May) after GMB announced the move.
More than 150 workers at the two sites overwhelmingly backed strikes in a consultative ballot. Now union members will now vote on a full and binding industrial action ballot at their centres.
The ballots at Rugeley and Mansfield will begin on 12 May and run for four weeks until 9 June.
Amazon’s Rugeley fulfilment centre in Staffordshire saw 98% of members vote for escalation, while 100% backed the strike at Amazon Mansfield.
The new strikes follow 14 days of strike action at the retail giant’s Coventry depot, which saw as many as 700 workers down tools in the UK’s first strike at an Amazon fulfilment centre.
Workers have since submitted a request for union recognition after GMB reached the membership threshold for mandatory recognition, which could mark Amazon’s first union recognition in Europe.
Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser, said: “This is no time for sound bites but Amazon workers are fighting back against a pay rise of pennies from one of the world’s wealthiest corporations. This escalation will now see workers in two further fulfilment centres asked to have their say on downing tools and walking out to deliver pay justice.
“We’ve already seen enormous enthusiasm from workers at Mansfield and Rugeley to take action, now it will be up to their union to move forward with the campaign.”
Gearing concluded: “We warned Amazon that this could fast become a summer of strike chaos if they refused to sit down and talk pay. Amazon Coventry workers have risen up, now we are seeing a domino effect. With strike action escalating and historical union recognition on the horizon, it’s time for Amazon to get real and get around the table.”
