Amazon may be forced to recognise union for first time

E-commerce giant Amazon may be forced to recognise a British trade union for the first time in its history after British union GMB said roughly 700 staff at the US firm's Coventry site have become members.

GMB stated it had signed up more than half the site's workers to the union, the standard threshold for mandatory union recognition in a workplace, in a move that comes hot on the heels of strike action by workers at the fulfilment centre.

GMB's Amanda Gearing said: "GMB members have been crystal clear since the start of their campaign; they will not accept a pay rise of pennies from one of the world's wealthiest corporations.

"After weeks of campaigning and 14 strike days, they've built the power of their union on site and are now in a position to file for recognition."

Gearing said Amazon executives had refused to hold meaningful discussions and that the union had been forced to now drag the company to the negotiating table.

""With industrial actions ballots under way in five further Amazon depots and more and more Amazon workers joining GMB, managers fast risk this becoming a summer of strike chaos for the company," she said. "The time has come for Amazon to sit down and talk pay with GMB Union."

Amazon has ten days to respond and agree to voluntarily recognise the union. However, if this does not happen, GMB vowed to launch a statutory process through the Central Arbitration Committee.

As of 1600 BST, Amazon shares were up 2.72% at $105.36 each.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com