Amazon workers both in Bad Hersfeld and Leipzig, Germany, will walk out for at least one day on Monday, Heiner Reimann of Union Verdi told daily Stuttgarter Nachrichten. Their main aim is to put pressure on Amazon in Germany - their biggest market outside the U.S, on a dispute over pay and work conditions.
Union Verdi has already organized several short strikes this year in a bid to force Amazon to accept a collective agreement on employment conditions similar to deals as same as the German mail order and retail sector, which are more generous than for the logistic sector.
Stefanie Nutzenberger, a Verdi board member, had already warned that its members could strike during the busy Christmas holiday season, could expand industrial action beyond Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld, which have been the focus of walkouts so far. "And we will concentrate on days that will be especially disruptive to business," she said.
According to Reuters, Amazon however refused to budge arguing that its distribution centers are logistic sites and that it pays for its staff accordingly.
Weekly German Magazine, Focus, also reportedly said that the world's biggest online retailer responded calmly and stated that it was "well prepared" for such actions.
Amazon currently employs around 9,000 people in Germany with its headquarters in Munich. It also operates eight logistic centers and two customer service centers.
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