Labor union calls on Amazon workers in Germany to go on strikeApril 17, 2014 - 11:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - German labor union Verdi has called on workers at online retailer Amazon in Germany to go on strike on Thursday, April 17, as a long-running pay dispute continues, according to Reuters. "Amazon is refusing talks about a wage agreement," Verdi negotiator Joerg Lauenroth-Mago said in a statement, saying workers at distribution centers in Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld were to walk off the job starting with the morning shift. Verdi wants Amazon to raise pay for workers at its distribution centers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements across the mail order and retail industry in Germany. Amazon, however, has rejected the demand, arguing that it regards warehouse staff as logistics workers and says they receive above-average pay by the standards of that industry. Online retail firms in Germany have struggled to shake off an image of companies that relentlessly drive their workers while paying them relatively little. Zalando, Europe's biggest online fashion retailer, this week issued a statement in defense of its logistics operations following a critical report by a German undercover journalist. 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. Late last month hundreds of workers walked out at its site in the eastern German city of Leipzig, and several centers were hit by work stoppages in the run-up to Christmas last year. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |