Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Graben, Germany. Credit: Gberstel / Wikimedia Commons.

Amazon workers in Germany are participating in a four-day strike at six sites ahead of the Easter weekend.

The retailer’s sites in Rheinberg, Werne, Koblenz and Leipzig, as well as two locations in Bad Hersfeld, have been affected by the strike.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The strike, called by trade union ver.di, is intended to make Amazon acknowledge collective bargaining agreements. Industry-wide collective bargaining negotiations are set to start in the coming weeks.

ver.di retail and mail-order representative Orhan Akman said: “Amazon continues to earn a golden nose in the [Covid-19] crisis. For that reason alone, tariff flight must be ended there.

“Our colleagues in the retail and mail-order sectors in various federal states are calling for wage increases of 4.5%, plus at least €45, over a period of 12 months. That must also be possible with Amazon this year.”

ver.di said that the German Trade Association’s (HDE) accepting Amazon as a member without tariff binding has led to ‘wage dumping’ and the ‘displacement and extermination’ of competition.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

In a statement, the union said: “Associations like the HDE harm members who are loyal to the collective agreement. It is high time to abolish memberships that are not bound by collective bargaining agreements.”

An Amazon spokesman said that over 90% of employees at its German sites were working as usual, adding that staff were benefiting from ‘excellent’ wages, additional benefits and career prospects.

The company said that the strike has not affected deliveries.

This month, two trade unions in India urged their country’s government to create a regulatory body for e-commerce platforms.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said that companies such as Amazon and Flipkart were ‘destroying India’s retail sector’, asking the government to rethink foreign direct investment (FDI) in e-commerce.