Amazon staff at Rugeley vote for strike action over pay

Hundreds of workers have joined the picket line in Coventry on several days this year in a dispute over pay and working conditions

Workers at a second Amazon site have voted to take strike action over pay.

More than 100 GMB union members at the firm's centre in Rugeley, Staffordshire, are set to walk out after 86% of those who voted backed the strike, the union said.

It comes as warehouse staff in Coventry, already taking strike action, voted for six more months action.

Amazon said it reviewed pay regularly and minimum pay had risen 10% in less than a year.

Strike dates in Rugeley, where about 1,000 people are employed by Amazon, are now being discussed, the union said.

Stuart Richards, GMB Senior Organiser, said workers at Amazon Rugeley had delivered a clear message that they demand fair pay and union rights.

Last month, Amazon confirmed the site is to close with staff being offered jobs at its new £500m site in Sutton Coldfield.

The dispute in Coventry has seen union members call for an hourly pay rise from £10.50 to £15 following a 50p per hour pay offer from Amazon.

Workers first walked out in January - the first strike by Amazon employees in the UK.

They have since staged 19 days of industrial action, announcing on the 19th day to hold six more months of strikes and claim they have surpassed the number of members needed to secure union recognition.

In a statement, Amazon told BBC News: "We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits.

"In less than a year, our minimum pay has risen by 10% and by more than 37% since 2018. "

Amazon's minimum starting pay for employees would be between £11 and £12 per hour, depending on location, it said, adding that that was above the National Living Wage and Real Living Wage limits.