Amazon workers walk-out at French depots

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Euronews

Christmas online shoppers in France hoping for last minute gifts could be hit by a strike by Amazon workers. It’s reported four depots have been hit by the walk-out sparked by demands for a salary hike and better working conditions.

The strike was called by the national union CGT in a bid to raise what it says is the current gross salary of 1,611 euros to more than 1,700.

The union also wants what it calls a less strenuous routine as one official claimed workers at a depot in Severey in the east of the country walk up to 22 kilometres a day according to calculations which were taken with a pedometer.

Last week over two and a half thousand workers at nine distribution centres in Germany took industrial action over pay and working conditions with Amazon saying Christmas deliveries would arrive on time.

Video at link.



Read more: http://www.euronews.com/2014/12/22/amazon-workers-walk-out-at-french-depots/

[PoliticAverse]

1. Amazon is apparently working to replace those workers doing all the walking with robots.

See: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-amazon-robots-20141202-story.html

[appalachiablue]

4. Indeed. The robot revolution is something. Good LA article. Amazon has some

very negative labor issues, not quite Walmartesque. I wonder how many busy working Americans know about this, especially younger ones. A recently retired friend isn't concerned. Nice person but he's got his and younger ones in his family have bank manager parents. They're just comfortable not wealthy. I find the indifference to be bizarre.

[DRoseDARs]

2. Gross salary of what? Poorly-written article is poorly written.

I'm going to assume monthly.
1e = 1.22 usd exchange rate (Google at the moment)

1611e = 1969.35usd
to 1700e = 2078.15usd

So roughly 40hrs/4wks = ~12.31/hr to ~12.99/hr

68cent/hr raise? Good thing there's other reasons they're striking for.

[Brigid]

3. I get the impression . . .

Amazon is treating European workers the same way they're used to treating American workers.