Amazon - GMB lose recognition vote by 28 votes.

I have been following this story for a few years (getting email updates, signing petitions, sharing etc) and it is important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8vd72zrpr1o

The GMB have been fighting against the odds to get Amazon to recognise them and to start proper negotiations over employment conditions. They increased membership at the Coventry distribution centre from a few dozen to almost 1500 over 2 years - with a lot of very vulnerable workers taking brave steps to support the union in the face of management intimidation and goalpost moving.

Sadly - for now - they have just failed to get the result needed. Although in the USA in one of the major centres the union was recognised a few years ago - and ignored by the company. So it is only the first step.

I use Amazon - and feel guilt with every order (I try to use alternative online sources where possible). But Amazon is here to stay, and the way their workforce is treated (and the way the company spins the story with their TV adverts) is a reflection of our values and priorities as a society. Not good at the moment.

Apologies - I thought I had posted this on the Alt Forum.

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Originally Posted by jon1959

Apologies - I thought I had posted this on the Alt Forum.

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Post away

It's a bit difficult to avoid using these huge corporations as they control everything


And if you want to boycott Chinese made goods ........I am afraid you have had it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jon1959

I have been following this story for a few years (getting email updates, signing petitions, sharing etc) and it is important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8vd72zrpr1o

The GMB have been fighting against the odds to get Amazon to recognise them and to start proper negotiations over employment conditions. They increased membership at the Coventry distribution centre from a few dozen to almost 1500 over 2 years - with a lot of very vulnerable workers taking brave steps to support the union in the face of management intimidation and goalpost moving.

Sadly - for now - they have just failed to get the result needed. Although in the USA in one of the major centres the union was recognised a few years ago - and ignored by the company. So it is only the first step.

I use Amazon - and feel guilt with every order (I try to use alternative online sources where possible). But Amazon is here to stay, and the way their workforce is treated (and the way the company spins the story with their TV adverts) is a reflection of our values and priorities as a society. Not good at the moment.

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If western governments can't or wont curb the power of these large companies then the people will have to.

They are parasites and we need to do something about them.
They don't pay a fair rate of tax, they force local smaller companies out of business, and replace decent jobs with ones with poverty wages that leave people relying on the state to support them enough to be able to live, which the state can't afford.

I think the Chinese government takes a much harder line with the large Chinese companies when they start to become more powerful, but I can't see the UK doing the same.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jon1959

Apologies - I thought I had posted this on the Alt Forum.

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I'm now of the opinion we should just have one board anyway. People can choose not to read threads they're not interested in. There's loads I ignore now so all it needs is for mods to combine threads on similar/same subjects and streamline the whole process. Just my view. Thanks for reading :thumbup: :biggrin:

There is much more to Amazon than warehouse deliveries.
Amazon web services is massive and runs critical architectures of countries as well large corps
Any idea what the Aws unionisation is like?
My guess is probably very different than the warehouse employees

AWS are not unionized. I worked for them in the US and with them daily here in Europe.

It used to be that the same HR policies that applied to the warehouse workers applied across the entire company, but they softened it a few years ago when they introduced a new leadership principle.

I love how they add more services, like adverts on Prime TV and then charge to take the adverts off which were already off as part of the package in the first place. Gaslighting b@stards.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jon1959

I have been following this story for a few years (getting email updates, signing petitions, sharing etc) and it is important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8vd72zrpr1o

The GMB have been fighting against the odds to get Amazon to recognise them and to start proper negotiations over employment conditions. They increased membership at the Coventry distribution centre from a few dozen to almost 1500 over 2 years - with a lot of very vulnerable workers taking brave steps to support the union in the face of management intimidation and goalpost moving.

Sadly - for now - they have just failed to get the result needed. Although in the USA in one of the major centres the union was recognised a few years ago - and ignored by the company. So it is only the first step.

I use Amazon - and feel guilt with every order (I try to use alternative online sources where possible). But Amazon is here to stay, and the way their workforce is treated (and the way the company spins the story with their TV adverts) is a reflection of our values and priorities as a society. Not good at the moment.

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Haven't followed Amazon workers conditions before but as a general point it isn’t good to force workers to join a particular Union, which used to happen quite often some years ago. They should have a free choice as to what Union to join or even whether they want to join one at all. Having a ‘closed shop’ of one particular Union can cause as many problems as not being allowed to have any by the employer. It should be a free choice for each worker.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dml1954

Haven't followed Amazon workers conditions before but as a general point it isn’t good to force workers to join a particular Union, which used to happen quite often some years ago. They should have a free choice as to what Union to join or even whether they want to join one at all. Having a ‘closed shop’ of one particular Union can cause as many problems as not being allowed to have any by the employer. It should be a free choice for each worker.

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I also think they overcharge for what most people need. I would 100% join my union if it was just about collective action to encourage the employer to improve pay and conditions to the best possible level and protecting certain rights but over the years I have seen them spend undue resources on propping up/defending complete tosspots who are completely gaming the system, I am not paying for that.

Closed shop, went out the window decades ago, the fact you cling on to it speaks volumes, you lack in every dept when it comes to running a business
Fecking clueless pal, you used to be self employed , yes ?
If you employed an assistant painter would you pay their income tax, NI as well as offer them a pension which you had to contribute to ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dml1954

Haven't followed Amazon workers conditions before but as a general point it isn’t good to force workers to join a particular Union, which used to happen quite often some years ago. They should have a free choice as to what Union to join or even whether they want to join one at all. Having a ‘closed shop’ of one particular Union can cause as many problems as not being allowed to have any by the employer. It should be a free choice for each worker.

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I don't think GMB at Coventry is an example of a closed shop, but the fact such practices were outlawed in 1990 makes your point superfluous

edit:

after reading the article, I find writing "engaging directly" a funny way to say "shaft our staff relentlessly"

for those in the know, if GMB have such numbers, why do they need to be recognised, and by whom?

I will say thought, the tide is turning, and for Amazon, they need to remember that the dildo of consequences very rarely arrives lubed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jon1959

I have been following this story for a few years (getting email updates, signing petitions, sharing etc) and it is important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8vd72zrpr1o

The GMB have been fighting against the odds to get Amazon to recognise them and to start proper negotiations over employment conditions. They increased membership at the Coventry distribution centre from a few dozen to almost 1500 over 2 years - with a lot of very vulnerable workers taking brave steps to support the union in the face of management intimidation and goalpost moving.

Sadly - for now - they have just failed to get the result needed. Although in the USA in one of the major centres the union was recognised a few years ago - and ignored by the company. So it is only the first step.

I use Amazon - and feel guilt with every order (I try to use alternative online sources where possible). But Amazon is here to stay, and the way their workforce is treated (and the way the company spins the story with their TV adverts) is a reflection of our values and priorities as a society. Not good at the moment.

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Use Amazon tut , tut call yerself a socialist giving money to an anti union organization who make their workers with come into work every day there rare about 800 , to 900,000 vacancies in the UK they could move too .


You can earn at Amazon £18.45 per hour up to £26.00 (based on location , night shifts brings £14.31 to £15.12 per hour .)

Their starting wages above minimum wage

Got a friends working with Amazon ,they are fairly happy , yes it is an industrial warehouse busy environment and you d have to work they dont tolerate sickness and lateness .

Provided low cost private health Insurance

They allow breaks , annual leave( 5 weeks ) plus bank holidays. Maternity and paternity ..

A driver friend getting £16 an hour , he loves the top up to his full time earnings as it pays his mortgage .. they are an asset to the economy and peoples lives , as they employ 75,000 permanent workers in the UK ,evil bastards

https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/amazon-f...nisingly-close

Amazon faces a legal challenge over union-busting tactics after workers drive for union recognition misses out by just a handful of votes.

49.5 per cent of the 2,600 workers who voted backed union recognition, falling short by just 28 votes.

This result comes just weeks after union-busting tactics at the Coventry site were exposed when it was revealed workers had been bombarded with an unrelenting campaign of anti-union messages by company bosses, including multiple anti-union seminars.

Amazon now faces an outstanding legal challenge - known as an Inducement Claim - for pressuring workers into cancelling their union membership during the ballot period.

Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser, said:

“Our members have come agonisingly close to winning today and GMB will carry on the fight for the pay and recognition they deserve.

“Amazon bosses have created a culture of fear for low paid workers trying to improve their pay, terms and conditions.

“From day one Amazon have been relentless in their attacks on their own workforce.

“We’ve seen workers pressured into attending six hours of anti-union seminars on top of the fortune spent by Amazon bosses to scare workers

"Workers have been told they will get no pay rise this year and will have to lose even more benefits if they vote for union recognition.

“This kind of union-busting has no place in 21st century Britain; but this is just the beginning. Amazon now faces a legal challenge, while the fire lit by workers in Coventry and across the UK is still burning".

Rosa Curling, Director of Foxglove legal, said:

“Every union member and organiser at GMB should be holding their heads high today after only just falling short in this historic vote, and in the face of Amazon’s union-busting.

“Attention must now turn to Amazon‘s behaviour during and before this ballot process. It’s time for Amazon to answer for its bullying, threats and unlawful one-click-to-quit QR codes. We are proud to be supporting over 900 workers in their inducement claims and we look forward to seeing Amazon in court.”