Workers at two Amazon sites in the U.K. are set to strike this month over pay and union recognition, according to the GMB Union.

The union announced that employees at Amazon's Coventry fulfillment center will strike on March 19 and 20, while those at its new headquarters in Birmingham will strike on March 27 and 28.

The decision to strike comes after GMB members applied for mandatory recognition with the Central Arbitration Committee, seeking to establish collective bargaining rights. If more than 50% of the workforce are members, the committee has the authority to compel companies to recognize a trade union.

GMB Organiser Rachel Fagan emphasized the workers' demands for a minimum wage of £15 per hour and union representation for U.K. Amazon employees.

The exact number of GMB members at Amazon and the proportion who voted for the strike have not been disclosed.

An Amazon spokesperson stated that the company regularly assesses its pay structures to ensure competitiveness, noting that the minimum starting pay will increase to between £12.30 and £13 per hour by April. This marks a 20% increase over two years and a 50% rise since 2018.

Amazon's fulfillment centers, spanning approximately 800,000 square feet, typically employ over 1,500 full-time workers. These facilities handle the picking, packing, and shipping of customer orders, including items like books, toys, and household goods. Photo by M J Richardson, Wikimedia commons.