Amazon employs around 9,000 people in Germany and has come under fire from trade union Verdi for refusing to implement a collective agreement on employment conditions, similar to other mail order and retail firms. The union wants higher basic pay and bigger supplements for night shifts. Verdi said in a statement on Tuesday that the strike was to start at 6 am local time and would last until the end of the late shift.
In the eastern city of Leipzig, the union is calling for starting pay of 10.66 euros an hour, compared with 9.30 euros now. In Bad Hersfeld, they want pay of 9.83 euro to be increased to 12.18. It could be the first shot over the bows of Amazon which is not really used to dealing with unionised labour in civilised countries.