German Amazon employees go on strike

Amazon employees have stopped work at several locations in Germany following a strike call by the trade union Verdi, reported dpa.

According to Verdi, the strike began at the start of the night shift and is expected to last until Wednesday. Verdi did not give a planned end date for the action.

The union is demanding that Amazon recognize the collective agreement for the retail and mail order sector and conclude a collective agreement.

Amazon said it did not expect the work stoppages to have any impact on customers.

The strike call applies to a total of seven distribution centres in Graben near Augsburg, Leipzig, Koblenz, Rheinberg, Werne and at two locations in Bad Hersfeld.

In Bad Hersfeld in the central state of Hesse, about 700 workers initially took part in the strike, in Rheinberg in North Rhine Westphalia 450, in Graben near Augsburg in Bavaria about 300, according to the union.

The reason for the strike, according to the union, is Amazon's "Prime Day" discount campaign, which begins on Tuesday.

In its statement, the company pointed out that all Amazon workers earn at least €12 ($12.14) per hour, and in autumn the minimum wage is to rise to €12.50 per hour. After 24 months, the average earnings of Amazon employees is believed to be around €2,750 gross per month.

In fact, Amazon had anticipated the minimum wage increase to €12 per hour, Verdi also said. However, by foregoing special payments such as Christmas and holiday bonuses and longer working hours, the actual incomes of employees often remained below those of colleagues in comparable companies.