GMB launches legal action against ‘anti-union’ Amazon

GMB has accused the US retailer of engaging in widespread attempts to “induce” staff to leave the union, including anti-union messages appearing on boards and managers being critical of unions at meetings lasting an hour or more.

Amanda Gearing, a GMB senior organiser, said: “This is a company out of control. Amazon is a multibillion-pound corporation, doing everything in its power to stop minimum-wage workers from forming a union.

“Their latest American-style anti-union campaign proves they will stop at nothing to beat the rules that every other employer in the UK is expected to follow.

“It’s desperate measures and goes some way to show why Amazon workers are so determined to win the union recognition they deserve.”

The news comes after GMB won a formal recognition ballot at the company, which required the union to prove they had met a threshold of members in the company’s Coventry fulfilment centre.

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have.

“We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits. Our minimum starting pay has increased to £12.30 and £13 per hour depending on location; that’s a 20% increase over two years and 50% since 2018.

“We also work hard to provide great benefits, a positive work environment and excellent career opportunities.”