A British union says hundreds of Amazon warehouse workers are leaving because of their salaries

The Amazon logo appears at the company’s logistics center in Beauvais, France, August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

LONDON (Reuters) – Hundreds of Amazon workers at a warehouse in Tilbury, southeast England, have protested over wages, the GMP union said, in the latest sign of workforce discontent as sparks ignite the rising cost of living. Cross-sector strikes.

Amazon, which dominates the online retail market, has faced criticism from workers in several countries over wages and conditions.

“Amazon continues to refuse to work with labor unions to provide better working conditions and fair wages. Its frequent use of short-term contracts aims to undermine workers’ rights,” the union said on Thursday.

GMB said 800 workers walked out of the warehouse on Wednesday and Thursday over a 35-pence hourly wage increase, with the union seeking a two-pound ($2.44) increase to counter the rising cost of living and better match role requirements.

The US tech giant, which has 70,000 workers in the UK, said starting salary would increase to at least £10.50 an hour and £11.45 in an email.

Workers from various industries, including railways, airlines and telecommunications, have staged strikes in recent months in Britain as wage increases are delayed as commodity prices rise.

(dollar = 0.8202 pounds)

Report Muvija M preparation; Editing by William James and Kate Holton

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