Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
The GMB union has submitted a bid for formal recognition to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) for its members at Amazon Coventry.
The CAC, which regulates collective bargaining between workers and employers, will now consider the bid after a ten day opportunity for Amazon to resolve recognition ended.
It is thought that workers at the Coventry fulfilment centre now have the legal threshold for mandatory recognition, as it now has 700 GMB members, which is around 51% of the workforce.
However, according to the union, workers in the warehouse reported bosses have “threatened to flood the site with up to 1,000 new staff in a bid to escape their obligations to recognise the union”.
The bid will now be considered by the CAC and if successful, would mark the first-time workers at a UK Amazon site have won recognition of a trade union.
Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser, said: “Our members have been crystal clear since day one of their industrial action; they expect their employer to talk pay with their union. The fact Amazon have flat-out refused opportunities to do just that underlines why GMB members at Amazon are so determined to win this fight.
“Amazon bosses appear to be threatening to flood the warehouse with up to 1,000 new staff in a bid to dodge their legal obligations. They are running scared. With industrial action escalating to new fulfilment centres, it’s clear Amazon are facing an historical moment that can no longer ignore.”
