According to Reuters, retail giant Amazon may soon need to officially acknowledge the GMB trade union at its Coventry warehouse in Britain, as workers are slated to cast their ballots on Monday.
Amazon has consistently worked to discourage employees from organizing unions, which was the case 20 years ago and remains true today. Marcus Courtney, a longtime labor advocate who attempted to unionize call center workers at Amazon in the early 2000s, shared this with CNBC.
Amazon has long been known for traditionally opposing unionization, opting to address employee concerns directly rather than through unions until workers at one of its New York warehouses successfully compelled the company to recognize a trade union in the US for the first time in 2022.
The First Time Amazon is Negotiating with Union Outside of The US
While Amazon is hailed as one of the top ten private sector employers in the UK, with a 75,000-strong workforce, Coventry warehouse workers in central England have been embroiled in a pay and union recognition dispute for over a year.
According to Amazon, their employees can decide whether to join a union, and they regularly assess their pay structures to ensure competitive wages and benefits.
Amazon Coventry warehouse workers will vote on Monday to finally let GMB represent them. If approved, it will be the first time Amazon has negotiated with a union regarding pay, hours, and holiday arrangements outside of the United States, as reported by Reuters.
Two main factors will determine the outcome of the ballot. First, at least 40% of employees in the bargaining unit must participate in the vote, regardless of their union membership status. If this threshold is not reached, the ballot fails. Second, if the 40% threshold is met, the outcome will be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast.
Amazon Workers Casting Ballot on Monday
The GMB will organize protests at Amazon warehouses across the UK as the voting process commences, including outside Amazon's London head office, with more than 3,000 workers to participate in the ballot. The union said that results are anticipated by mid-July.
Workers have united due to Amazon's alleged low wages and unsafe working conditions. They seek fair pay and safe working conditions, which they believe are fundamental rights, GMB national officer Andy Prendergast said in a statement.
READ ALSO: Amazon Labor Union Affiliates with Teamsters, Seeks to Have "More Resources and Strength" in Numbers
Amazon's Stance on The Company's Culture
Amazon believes its employees have always had the choice to join a union and is committed to regular communication and direct engagement with its workforce.
According to a spokesperson, Amazon regularly evaluates their employees' compensation to ensure competitive wages and benefits, having their minimum wage of £12.30 increase to £13 per hour, depending on the location, which marks a 20% increase over two years and a 50% increase since 2018. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits, a positive work environment, and career growth opportunities, which contribute to why individuals choose to work at Amazon, whether it is their first job, a seasonal position, or a chance to advance their careers.
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