(This Dec. 16 story has been corrected to remove reference to hundreds of workers in paragraph 1 and clarifies the vote was among 284 union members)
LONDON (Reuters) – Amazon workers at a warehouse in Coventry, central England, have voted to walk out in the new year in a dispute over pay, the union representing the staff said on Friday.
“Amazon workers in Coventry have made history – they will be the first ever in the UK to take part in a formal strike,” GMB Senior Organiser Amanda Gearing said in a statement.
Amazon said 284 of its around 1,400 employees at the site were members of the GMB union.
GMB said turnout among its members was 63%, of which 98% voted to strike. The union added that industrial action would likely take place in the new year.
Britain is facing an unprecedented number of strikes across several sectors, including ambulance, transport, nurses and health workers, as workers struggling with surging inflation demand better pay and conditions.
(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; Editing by Alistair Smout)
