German workers Amazon on strike again

Employees at Amazon’s German distribution centres are on strike
once again for better working conditions. The strike involves the distribution centres in
Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld, Rheinberg, Werne and Koblenz. The strike began yesterday
and will continue until the end of the day today.

Higher hourly wages, better working conditions
The German trade union Verdi is calling for better working conditions. Not only
for logistics staff in Germany, but also in Poland. Around sixty Amazon employees
are on their way to Wrocław, Poland, to campaign for better
wages. The hourly wage in Poland is reportedly just 3.50 euros. “Amazon’s
are organising themselves across borders to fight together for their goals:
a living wage, good working conditions and respect for workers
the form of collective agreements”, writes the trade union. The strike comes shortly
after Amazon announced that it intends to outsource fulfilment to Eastern Europe more frequently
in order to ease the pressure on Germany. According to the trade union, this
makes this a particularly opportune time to go on strike in both Germany and Poland.

Years-long battle against Amazon
This is not the first time that German Amazon employees have
. The Verdi trade union has been demanding a higher hourly wage and better
working conditions for several years now. In the autumn of 2015, the union organised a
six-day strike, in which 2,100 employees took part. Amazon
seemed unimpressed and did not give in. The reason
is said to be that only a small proportion of the workforce took part. Amazon has around
10,000 employees in Germany.

Editorial LogistiekProfs