More than a thousand workers in Germany protested for higher wages at US online retailer Amazon, the greatest number to walk off the job since intermittent strikes hit the country since the summer and ahead of the Christmas rush.
“We plan on having a lot of staying power,” said Christoph Schmitz, spokesman for service sector union Verdi.
Starting Monday, hundreds of workers will strike until Wednesday at Amazon’s largest German distribution centre in Bad Hersfeld and until Friday in Leipzig, Schmitz said. A facility in the Bavarian town of Graben also saw workers strike for the first time; they will return to work on Tuesday.
According to Verdi, 1,800 workers took part in the strike, while Amazon said that 1,115 personnel participated. The workers are demanding a collective wage agreement based on terms for those employed in the retail and mail order trade, which would mean better pay rates for Amazon workers.
On November 25, about 150 workers walked off the job in Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld.
An Amazon spokeswoman in Munich said the majority of Amazon employees remained on the job, and no delays in deliveries would result from this week’s labour action.