Union GMB this morning staged protests outside of nine of Amazon’s UK offices, including its Slough headquarters, urging the retailer to improve working conditions for staff.
The union said its protest is centred on both the retailer’s tax evasion and claims that working conditions were poor for staff.
Protesters came armed with placards mocked up ‘Asbos’ which demanded: “Pay your tax: public are fed up subsidising Amazon” and “Pay a living wage”.
GMB claims that the online giant fails to pay its workers a living wage of £7.45 an hour.
It said: “The high tech way Amazon process orders and tracks inventory disguises that it is also a traditional labour intensive mail order retail business that exploits its staff as well as dodging taxes.”
GMB claims that many of Amazon UK’s 15,000 staff are employed by agency Randstad in casual or temporary jobs which it said offers no job security or guaranteed incomes.
It said: “Staff complain to GMB about a culture of bullying and harassment endemic in the dataveillance that comes from staff being required to wear digital arm mounted terminals with no agreed protocols re breaks, speeds etc. Union activity has to be kept underground for fear of reprisals.”
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