Warehouse workers at tech giant go on strike for the first time Amazon in Britannia. The main driving force behind their mobilization is their salary increase of only 5%, which they characterize as a reproach, as well as working conditions. And, as they usually point out, “robots in warehouses are better treated,” according to a BBC report and moneyreview.gr. Around 300 people were out of work at Amazon’s 1,000-employee warehouse in Coventry. Employees at the US e-commerce giant are protesting a half-pound raise they received over the summer, bringing their hourly wage to £10.50. That growth is 5% lower than UK inflation, workers note as they ask the tech giant founded by tycoon Jeff Bezos for a minimum wage of £15 an hour. It is noted that in December in the United Kingdom the inflation index jumped to 10.5%.

They complain about low wage increases and poor working conditions.

At the same time, they demand improved working conditions, expressing concern about long working hours, high levels of injuries and accidents at work, and the relentless pace of work. As they specify, their productivity is under constant control with the help of technical means. Amazon responds that it has a system in place that “recognizes high performance” and “encourages counseling to help employees improve their performance if they don’t meet their goals.” But GMB union members who spoke to the BBC said that was not the case. As they explained, even a break in the restroom can raise questions from the manager. These employees scan products as they ship from the warehouse, so if someone stops scanning for more than a few minutes, it shows up in the Amazon system. These minutes are added to each shift, so at the end of the day, the manager might ask, for example: “Today you had 34 minutes of free time. What have you done? Striking workers say they want people to know what’s going on behind the scenes every time they place an order on Amazon. A company spokesperson told CNBC that just 1% of workers in the UK took part in the strike. In addition, he noted that the wages of warehouse workers have increased by 29% since 2018, and the company is also paying its employees an additional £500 in aid for punctuality.

As a reminder, Amazon’s worldwide sales and profits skyrocketed during the pandemic as the world turned to e-commerce. Between 2019 and 2020, its profit nearly doubled to $21.3 billion before rising again to $33.3 billion the following year. Finally, while the economy is resetting, demand is slowing due to inflation and uncertainty, and Amazon, which has hired thousands of people since 2019, is now laying off 18,000 people worldwide.