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Amazon workers in Coventry vote for strike action

Amazon workers at the company’s Coventry warehouse have voted in favor of a strike in what is believed to be the UK’s first time.

The GMB union said hundreds of workers voted against a wage offer of 50p an hour.

A majority of over 98% of workers voted in favor of the strike, with a turnout of over 63%, the union said.

Amazon has previously said it offers “competitive pay” and provides workers with “comprehensive benefits.”

Voting ended on Friday, but industrial action is likely to occur in the new year. The workers wanted their hourly wage to go up from £10 to £15 an hour.

Amanda Gearing, senior organizer at GMB, said the workers made history by becoming the first Amazon workers in the UK to take part in a formal strike.

“The fact that they are being forced to strike to get a decent wage from one of the most valuable companies in the world should be a disgrace to Amazon,” she said.

“Amazon can afford to do better. It’s not too late to avoid strikes; sit down with GMB to improve wages and working conditions for workers.”

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