Amazon's UK 50p Per Hour Pay Boost Infuriates Union, Proposes New Course Of Action

On Wednesday, Amazon.Com, Inc AMZN boosted the minimum starting pay for its employees at its U.K. operations by up to 50 pence to between 11 pounds ($13.50) - 12 pounds per hour.
Amazon faced flak from its union, which had demanded a more considerable hike, Reuters reports.
The pay boost comes less than a week after hundreds of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry in central England staged the latest walkout in a dispute over pay this year.
Also Read: Amazon Scores Another Victory In Preventing Unionization Efforts At US Warehouse
"We're listening to Amazon workers and the message is very clear: this new pay rate is an insult," said Amanda Gearing, senior organizer of GMB, the union which represents more than 500 Amazon workers.
The union had said the Amazon Coventry workers are demanding 15 pounds an hour to cope with a cost-of-living crisis that has sparked strikes across sectors in Britain. The union proposed to consult over the next few days and share a new wave of action.
The pay boost, which will depend on locations and start in April, comes after Amazon raised U.K. hourly wages by 50 pence to 10.50 - 11.45 pounds per hour in 2022.
Amazon in January disclosed plans to shut three warehouses in Hemel Hampstead, Doncaster, and Gourock in Britain this year, in a move that will affect 1,200 jobs, offering workers a chance to transfer to other units.
Price Action: AMZN shares trade higher by 0.31% at $100.92 on the last check Wednesday.
Photo via Phillip Pessar via Flickr

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