Amazon staff balloted on union recognition after post-pandemic ‘workload increase’

Staff at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse are taking part in an historic ballot which could see the company recognise a UK trade union for the first time ever.

The ballot would allow the GMB union to formally negotiate on workers’ behalf, but officials have accused the two trillion dollar company of union busting, something Amazon denies.

The warehouse processes millions of orders a day, and some workers say their conditions can be physically punishing. They feel their pay does not reflect a perceived increase in workload since the pandemic.

One employee told Channel 4 News how she’d suffered a heart attack while working in the warehouse, and that she’d subsequently faced disciplinary measures on her return to work.

68 year old Ceferina Floresca has a heart condition, and says she was working at the front of the conveyor belt moving boxes, when she became ill.

“You really have to pull hard, and that’s what I was doing,” she says. ”The boxes were heavy, so I was pulling it and pulling it, and then I felt pain in my chest.”

After being rushed to hospital, she took time off on her doctor’s orders. On her return, she received a ‘letter of concern’ summoning her to a meeting. Ceferina says she was told she could no longer change her shift, take further sick leave, lower her hours, or apply for a promotion.

“I was shocked. I was looking at him and I thought he was joking. He said, ‘Do you have any questions?’ I said ‘Yes, you know I had my heart attack here whilst working… So why are you penalising me?’”

Amazon told us that “the wellbeing of our employees is always our priority, and we work directly with them to accommodate their needs when they return to work following medical treatment.

“On Ceferina’s return to work, we met with her several times and after a thorough review by our occupational health team, we created a unique role for her that meets her specific requirements. This role was mutually agreed with Ceferina.”

A spokesman for Amazon said: “Everyone is supported, treated with dignity and respect, gets regular breaks, and works at a comfortable pace in a safe, modern work environment. We hear regularly from our employees that have worked in other logistics and operations businesses that they prefer the working environment at Amazon.”

The founder and largest shareholder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is one of the richest men in the world. But across its global empire, the company has long been resistant to attempts for staff to unionise. In 2021, workers at the Staten Island site became the first recognised Amazon union in the US.

The Coventry warehouse has been the site of multiple strikes over pay in the past few years, with union membership steadily increasing. But GMB officials say that as the ballot has approached, Amazon has stepped up its ‘anti-union messaging’.

A number of workers have told us that some members of management had been encouraging staff not to back the union. In a secret recording of a meeting about the ballot, shared with Channel 4 News, an Amazon representative can be heard warning of the consequences of union recognition.

The representative tells staff: “If the GMB is recognised, this means we cannot give you any increases to pay, any one-off payments or bonuses, we cannot make changes to your hours of work, your shift arrangements or holidays, including those changes that you like and you asked for without the GMB agreeing.”

When asked if this was a fair characterisation of the impact of union recognition, Amazon told us: “We think it is very important that our employees have a full understanding of what union recognition would mean for both themselves and their workplace. That way they can make an informed decision when they vote in the ballot.”

The company has also placed QR codes across the warehouse that, when scanned, auto-generate an email cancelling workers’ union membership. The GMB says they’ve already lost over 50 members this way, and allege that it amounts to inducement to leave the union.

Amazon rejects this, and says: “Employees were telling us they wanted to cancel their membership but could not find a way to do so, so we provided information to help.”

They say its workers are free to choose whether or not to join a union and that they are proud of the working environment and conditions at their sites. They argue that pay has increased 50% since 2018, and that they offer competitive wages and benefits.

An Amazon spokesperson told Channel 4 News: “We work hard to provide great benefits, a positive work environment and excellent career opportunities. These are just some of the reasons people want to come and work at Amazon, whether it’s their first job, a seasonal role or an opportunity for them to advance their career.”

The results of the ballot are expected on Monday 15 July.

Additional reporting by Sachin Croker