INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Media playback is unsupported on your deviceMedia caption'I have to pick an item every eight seconds, or 332 per hour, for a 10-hour
day'Thousands of workers in Amazon sites around the world are staging protests about pay and conditions as the online retailer begins its
annual sale.On Monday, Amazon starts offering discounts to its Prime service members.Unions say that 2,000 workers are on strike in Germany,
while in the US, workers in a Minnesota centre reportedly plan a six-hour stoppage
In the UK, week-long protests are planned.Amazon says it offers great employment opportunities.William Stolz, a picker at a warehouse in the
Shakopee warehouse in Minnesota, told the TheIndianSubcontinent that workers wanted "safe, reliable jobs" from Amazon.He says he has to
pick an item about every eight seconds, or 332 per hour, for a 10 hour day."The speeds that we have to work are very physically and mentally
exhausting, in some cases leading to injuries," he said."Basically we just want them to treat us with respect as human beings and not treat
us like machines," he said.Prime Day begins on Monday, but actually lasts 48 hours
The Seattle-based retailer, founded by Jeff Bezos, says new deals will launch as often as every five minutes "giving shoppers plenty of
reasons to come back again and again"
One of the most valuable public companies in the world - making Mr Bezos the world's richest man - Amazon rang up total sales of $235bn
sites had gone on strike under the logo "no more discount on our incomes"."While Amazon fuels bargain hunting on Prime Day with hefty
discounts, employees are being deprived of a living wage," said Orhan Akman, retail specialist at Verdi.In the UK, GMB union officials
handed leaflets to workers arriving at the site in Peterborough in the East Midlands, and in the coming days protests are expected at other
sites such as Swansea and Rugeley, in the West Midlands.Mick Rix, GMB national officer, said: "Amazon workers want Jeff Bezos to know they
It's prime time for Amazon to get round the table with GMB and discuss ways to make the workplaces safer and to give their workers and
independence voice".Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Unions say that 2,000 workers are on strike in Germany
While the GMB was not calling on shoppers to boycott Amazon, he said customers could act."We're not calling for economic damage for
"What we're asking for is for people to be aware
Leave feed back on Amazon".In response, Amazon said it "provided great employment opportunities with excellent pay".It encouraged people to
compare its operations in Shakopee with other employees in the area.In the UK, where it employs 29,500 people, a spokesperson said the
said its German operations offered wages "at the upper end of what is paid in comparable jobs" and it was "seeing very limited participation
[in strikes] across Germany with zero operational impact and therefore no impact on customer deliveries".In total, Amazon has a global
workforce of 630,000, with 300,000 in the US.
