A strike by Amazon workers in Leipzig began early Tuesday morning. Union members distributed strike calls in front of the factory gates, and members were also asked to participate by e-mail and text message, union secretary Ronny Streich said on Tuesday morning.
The Verdi union has called on Amazon workers in Leipzig to go on a two-day strike. The walkout is expected to last from Tuesday morning to Thursday morning. The aim of the strike is better pay. “There has been and is already a strike at various Amazon locations nationwide,” said Streich. As in the past, Amazon does not expect any impact on customers.
Streich, in his own words, expects 300 to 350 participants in the strike. This includes both union members and non-union workers. The plan is for employees to stay at home on Tuesday. A strike meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
“In view of the enormous economic burdens caused by the current price increases and the already low wages, the employees say: That’s absolutely not enough,” said Streich. The employees called for collective bargaining on an equal footing and for the collective agreements in retail and mail order to be legally binding.
Verdi has been trying for years without success to enforce the collective agreement for mail order and retail at the US group or to conclude an in-house tariff. Instead, Amazon applies its own remuneration system.
According to Amazon, it operates 20 logistics centers in Germany. More than 20,000 permanent employees work in logistics. According to the information, all Amazon employees in logistics have received a salary increase since September. “The converted entry-level wage is 13 euros gross per hour and upwards, including bonus payments,” argued the company. After two years of service, the average gross salary is over 35,000 euros per year.