News

Amazon workers in Germany are carrying out the latest in a series of strikes over poor working conditions and the company’s refusal to recognise organised labour.

The strikes come after U.S. President Barack Obama visited an Amazon warehouse in America last week, praising the online retailer for providing new, well paid jobs to American workers. Unions say Amazon should not be upheld as a role model for good jobs anywhere because the company is anti-union, provides poor working conditions and relies on lowly paid short and fixed term contractors as well as agency work.

Now Amazon has been accused of trying to export its business practices to Germany, the retailer’s second largest market, where unions say it is also failing to deliver on fair pay and benefits. Amazon employs around nine thousand workers in Germany, many on short-term contracts, but has refused to recognise its workers rights to collective bargaining - a move which is not in line with other online retailers operating in the country.

Germany's retail union ver.di says that Amazon's staff in Germany should be classified as retail employees and should be paid at the rate negotiated in the collective agreements for retail and mail order companies. Contrary to Amazon, Germany's and Europe's second largest mail order company OTTO has been applying those conditions for many years.

Alke Boessiger, UNI Global Union’s Head of Commerce said:

"Amazon management must realise that their way of treating workers is not acceptable in Germany or any other country. The management's total disrespect for worker rights, their refusal to recognise the union and the collective agreement put them in the same league as the world's largest retailer Walmart - the inventor of the low-road business model and a renowned union buster.

“Amazon must do better. By recognising the union and entering into the collective agreements for the retail and online retail sector in Germany, Amazon can demonstrate that they are a real leader on all fronts, not just when it comes to making profits."