Amazon workers are staging the first ever UK strike on Wednesday against the online giant in a protest over pay. Around 300 staff walked out at Amazon's Coventry warehouse, the GMB union said, over what they called a "derisory" 5% pay rise to £10.50 an hour. Workers told the BBC about "severe" conditions, claiming they are constantly monitored and upbraided for "idle time" lasting just a few minutes. Amazon said it has a system "that recognises great performance". Two Amazon workers, who are members of the GMB, said the robots in the warehouse "are treated better than us". In August, Amazon offered UK workers a 5% payrise, which was worth 50p outside London and the South East. Inflation, the rate at which prices rise, is at a 40-year high, putting pressure on household budgets. An Amazon spokesman said it was "proud" of its "competitive" pay rates. He said the starting pay for workers was £11.45 an hour in London and the South East, and £10.50 an hour in the rest of the UK. Amazon's global sales and profits soared as Covid restrictions forced people to shop online. Between 2019 and 2020, profits nearly doubled to $21.3bn (£17.2bn) and rose again the following year to $33.3bn.
