German workers of US online retailer giant Amazon boycotted work Monday to strike for higher pay.
According to the BBC, workers' union strikes have taken place outside Amazon's logistic centres in Bad Hersfeld, Leipzig and Graben. On Tuesday, workers are expected to protest outside the centre in Werne.
At the heart of the dispute is the contention of workers that they be paid according to pay standards in mail and retail industry, Reuters reported. The labour union Verdi is representing Amazon employees.
"Verdi wants Amazon to raise pay for workers at its German distribution centers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements for the mail order and retail industry," Reuters reported.
However Amazon has not conceded to worker demands, maintaining that the workers perform logistic functions involving packaging of orders to be shipped and hence Amazon does not see them as belonging to retail or mail order industry, CNET said.
The employee-Amazon dispute has raged for months now. On Monday, 500 of the 1200 workers at Leipiz's center protested; yet Amazon said that only 340 workers participated and deliveries were not affected, Reuters reported.
"Amazon employs a total of 9,000 warehouse staff at nine distribution centers in Germany - its second-biggest market behind the United States - plus 14,000 seasonal workers," Reuters said adding, "three of Amazon's German logistic centers were hit by stoppages in the run-up to Christmas, though the company said that deliveries were not affected."
During protests last year, it was reported that Amazon had initiated a one-time handout of $540 to $813 for payment in November. But employees did not relent as they contested that the payments are half of what the company would have to pay if it agrees to collective agreements that would classify majority of its logistics employees as mail order or retail workers.
