ITF keeps track of Amazon

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The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) has vowed to keep a close eye on the online retailer Amazon due to its ongoing failure to provide better working conditions and collective agreements.

The ITF will work with UNI Global Union to organise and coordinate solidarity action to help workers in their fight for decent working conditions and collective bargaining agreements.

Amazon employs around 88,000 workers worldwide. In the US, Amazon has decided to engage their own employees to carry out deliveries, in order to be independent from companies that are bound by collective bargaining agreements.

In Germany, Amazon is not prepared to enter into collective bargaining, despite strike action being organized recently on an even larger scale at multiple locations.

Christine Behle, head of transport at Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.di) condemned Amazon for providing substandard pay, health-damaging working conditions, permanent monitoring and extreme pressure to perform.

“Amazon is changing the face of the logistics industry, with bad results for workers,” she said.

“In Germany there have been strikes in several warehouses, but Amazon says it will now move its distribution to Poland. We need to have an international strategy for this company.”

Many Amazon employees in Europe and the US are joining unions and are increasingly participating in strike action organised by their unions to fight for their rights.

However, global organising campaigns are needed to boost the current level of union organisation amongst all employees of delivery companies working for Amazon.

ITF global head of supply chain and logistics, Ingo Marowsky said logistics workers were now integrated into global supply chains with complex power structures.