GMB fails to secure right to represent retailer’s staff, in what would have been a first outside the US
Workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse have narrowly voted against a historic trade union recognition deal, in a setback for campaigners who had been pushing for the right to collectively bargain over pay and conditions.
Workers voted by a majority of 50.5% to reject the proposal for the GMB trade union to represent them in negotiations with the US online retailer, with those who wanted union recognition falling just 29 votes short.
Union officials said Amazon had “created a culture of fear” and used intimidatory tactics to stifle support among the 3,000-strong workforce at the West Midlands hub after a battle for recognition lasting more than year.
Stuart Richards, a GMB senior organiser, said the union would consider a legal challenge. “From day one Amazon have been relentless in their attacks on their own workforce. We’ve seen workers pressured into attending six hours of anti-union seminars on top of the fortune spent by Amazon bosses to scare workers,” he added.
Workers were granted the right in April to hold the legally binding vote by the independent Central Arbitration Committee after a campaign by GMB, which is running the ballot. Amazon had rejected a request for voluntary recognition.
If staff had voted to support recognition, the GMB would have been given the right to represent them in negotiations over pay and conditions in what would have been the first instance of Amazon recognising a union in the UK.
It would also have been the first time the internet retailer’s workers had won the right of recognition outside the US. Trade unions represent staff in some European countries including Italy and Germany, but only as the result of government intervention.
Richards said workers had been told they would get no pay rise this year and would lose benefits if they voted for union recognition. “This kind of union-busting has no place in 21st-century Britain; it’s clear Amazon cannot be trusted to play by the rules that all other companies in the UK are expected to follow,” he said.
“But this is just the beginning. Amazon now faces a legal challenge, while the fire lit by workers in Coventry and across the UK is still burning.”
Amazon said: “We want to thank everyone who voted in this ballot. Across Amazon, we place enormous value on engaging directly with our employees and having daily conversations with them. It’s an essential part of our work culture. We value that direct relationship and so do our employees.
“This is why we’ve always worked hard to listen to them, act on their feedback, and invest heavily in great pay, benefits and skills development – all in a safe and inclusive workplace with excellent career opportunities. We look forward to continuing on that path with our team in Coventry.”
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