Workers in Amazon’s German warehouses have gone on strike over a long-running dispute over pay and conditions, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Earlier this month NPR delved into the issue in some depth, interviewing a German Amazon worker and citing a written statement provided by Amazon, which declined an interview.
NPR said hundreds of workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bad Hersfeld had conducted a series of short strikes since 2013, each lasting one to three days.
The Verdi union website is in German, but a Google translation indicates the strike involves approximately 2,000 employees in four locations: Bad Hersfeld (Hesse), Leipzig (Saxony), Graben, near Augsburg (Bavaria) and Rheinberg (North Rhine-Westphalia). The union called the first day of the Amazon strike on Monday a success.
Criticism over treatment of its workers worldwide has continued to dog Amazon. Last year, the German government was reportedly looking into allegations made in a documentary about Amazon’s treatment of contract workers.
According to the Verdi website, the walkouts started Sunday night and were expected to last until the end of the late shift on September 23, 2014. It says workers want a collective agreement and dignified living wage and conditions.
