Amazon responds to union pressure with wage increase, but still denies workers' rights

Brussels, 2 October 2018 (ITUC OnLine): Trillion-dollar corporate behemoth Amazon's announcement that it will increase wages of its lowest paid workers shows that pressure from national and international unions is having an impact. However the company shows no sign yet of ending its systematic global anti-union strategy.

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary said "Amazon is a top-predator in the corporate greed stakes, and treats the men and women who work for it with no respect. From Jeff Bezos at the top, down to middle management, the company uses every trick in the book to stop its workers organising into unions to improve working conditions and bargain collectively for decent conditions and pay that reflects the full value of the work they do. Amazon has an appalling record on workers' health and safety, and imposes work practices on them that would have been unacceptable 100 years ago, let alone today. Trade unions will keep up the pressure on this company until it changes its feudal corporate culture."

While Amazon has announced wage increases for UK and US workers, unions are calling for increases for its entire global workforce.