Amazon workers strike at four German warehouses

Workers at four Amazon logistic centers in Germany went on strike on Monday, the latest action in a long-running campaign for better pay and conditions.

Trade union Verdi said workers at warehouses in Rheinberg, Werne, Bad Hersfeld and Koblenz had stopped work, with the strike set to last until Thursday in some centers, and others potentially joining over the Easter holiday period.

An Amazon spokeswoman said the company saw very limited participation in the strike across Germany, adding there was no operational impact so customer deliveries would not be delayed.

Verdi has organized frequent strikes at Amazon in Germany since 2013 to press demands for the retailer to raise pay for warehouse workers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements in Germany’s mail order and retail industry.

Amazon has repeatedly rejected Verdi’s demands and the spokeswoman said the company is a fair and responsible employer without a collective agreement, with wages at the upper end of what is paid in comparable jobs.

Amazon runs 12 fulfillment centers in Germany, its second-biggest market after the United States.

“The employees are not giving up,” Verdi board member Stefanie Nutzenberger said in a statement. “They want to put an end to the arbitrariness of a company that puts pressure on its employees with stressful work and controls.”