Members of the GMB union are staging a number of demonstrations across nine Amazon UK depots today (Wednesday, February 13th).
The dispute concerns staff wages, which are £6.20 an hour - one penny above the UK minimum wage, reports Retail Week, as covered by MCV.
Disquiet about the pay rates has reportedly intensified since Amazon’s 'tax dodging' was revealed by the press.
Rinf.com also reports that the ‘ASBO for Amazon’ protests were launched as a response to what workers call "a culture of bullying and endemic harassment through the ‘dataveillance’ system."
Amazon terminals apparently "direct employees from task to task, with no protocols agreed such as the work speed or how frequently workers should take a break".
Bosses at the depos will be handed a fake ASBO claiming that the company “knowingly underpaid corporation tax in the UK” and “demanding it should repay the money it owes and commit to paying normal levels of tax in the future”.
The GMB’s Paul Clarke said: “Our members at the company say the name Amazon has become a dirty word among friends and family. While everyone wants goods as cheap as possible, it’s now beginning to dawn on people the consequences of buying from tax-dodging companies who treat their staff so badly.”
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