Amazon is accused of deploying ‘union-busting’ tactics at Midlands warehouses

The claim comes as the GMB union prepares for three days of strike action at the IT company’s Coventry warehouse.

The GMB has accused Amazon of using “union-busting” methods at its facilities in the Midlands, with workplace message boards reading: “We want to speak with you.” “A union wants to speak for you.”

The claim comes as the union plans to strike for three days next week at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse, known as BHX4, as part of a year-long industrial dispute. Staff are asking a pay hike of £15 per hour, as well as the right to negotiate pay and conditions with the company.

The Guardian obtained images of information boards and business newsletters that the GMB claimed were displayed inside BHX4 and other Amazon warehouses in the vicinity. These include messages like “The union wants you to pay £14.37 per month for them to speak for you.” We think that having a voice should not cost you anything, and that you do not need to join a union to have your opinion heard. “We have got you.”

Another reads, “Before voting or joining a union, we encourage you to look into the facts for yourself. “The best relationships are direct ones.”

The GMB’s general secretary, Gary Smith, stated, “Let’s call this what it is: one of the world’s wealthiest companies engaged in union-busting right here in the UK.”

“GMB members in Coventry are refusing to be beaten by Amazon’s union-busting, and they will win the pay and recognition they deserve,” he said.

Kate Bell, assistant general secretary of the TUC, who visited the picket line in Coventry last year, stated: “Instead of treating its workforce with the respect it deserves, Amazon is using every trick in the book to prevent workers from organising for better pay and conditions.”

The GMB’s newest criticism of Amazon comes as it prepares for a new struggle to gain formal status in Coventry. Last year, the union withdrew an application to the independent Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), accusing Amazon of bringing in at least 1,000 new workers to prevent the GMB from demonstrating that it represented a clear majority of employees at the site.

The company rejected the charge, claiming that any new hires were necessary for normal business operations. With a concerted union recruiting push underway at the site, the GMB said it planned to submit a new application to the CAC this spring.

According to an Amazon spokeswoman, “We respect our employees’ rights to join, or not join, a union.”