The Verdi services union has called on the employees of the online giant Amazon at the Rheinberg and Werne sites in North Rhine-Westphalia to go on strike. In the fight for collective agreements, they should stop working at the beginning of the night shift, as the union announced on Sunday.
Verdi is demanding that Amazon recognize the collective bargaining agreements in the retail sector in North Rhine-Westphalia. The union also wants a collective agreement for “good and healthy work” for employees.
“Time pressure, hustle and bustle and monotonous activities can make employees ill,” emphasized the negotiator for NRW, Silke Zimmer, in a statement. “In order to prevent this, it is necessary to create working conditions that maintain the health of employees in the long term.” “Amazon can set a good example here. For their commitment, the employees deserve that their work is remunerated according to the collective agreement.
Amazon responded to the strike call on Sunday evening. “It is important to us as an employer to offer all Amazon colleagues attractive jobs with good prospects. We firmly believe in the combination of fair wages and attractive additional benefits in a modern, safe working environment,” said a spokesman. All employees in logistics at Amazon earned at least 12 euros gross per hour plus extras. The company does not expect the announced campaign to affect the delivery of parcels.
According to Verdi, around 1,800 people work at the Amazon locations in Rheinberg and Werne. In Werne the strike is to last until Wednesday, in Rheinberg for a day longer. (dpa)