Amazon workers in Germany striking for higher wages

PanARMENIAN.Net - A union representing workers at Amazon in Germany says members are striking in a push for higher wages from the online retailer, The Associated Press reports.

The ver.di union said Tuesday, May 14, it is urging Amazon to adopt wage agreements similar to those governing retail and mail-order workers. The union says those agreements include Christmas bonuses and extra pay for working nights, Sundays and holidays and could mean as much as 9,000 euros ($11,700) more annually for Amazon workers.

Amazon says its distribution warehouses in Germany are logistical centers, and employees are already paid on the upper end of what workers in the logistical industry earn.

Ver.di represents some 3,300 employees at Amazon's Bad Hersfeld center and another 2,000 in Leipzig and says both sites will take part in the one-day warning strike.