Amazon workers in Germany go on strike for pay, says Verdi union

BERLIN (Reuters) – Workers at seven Amazon (AMZN.O), the German unions will go on strike to pay at least two days this week from Sunday evening, said Monday the union Verdi.

The strikes, under the slogan "More reduction on our income," will coincide with Amazon's Prime Day, when the US online retail giant will offer its customers "Prime" discount offers. Germany is its second largest market after the United States.

Amazon is struggling with a long battle with the German unions to get better wages and conditions for logistics workers, who have organized many strikes since 2013.

"While Amazon is fueling the Prime Day bargain hunt with substantial discounts, employees are deprived of a living wage," said Verdi retail specialist Orhan Akman.

Verdi said the strikes would affect Amazon sites in Werne, Rheinberg, Leipzig, Graben and Koblenz, as well as at the two Amazon sites in Bad Hersfeld.

"The company must finally recognize collective pay agreements for the retail and mail order sectors," Akman said. "The wages at Amazon no longer have to be determined in the manner of a lord of the manor."

Verdi also called for collective agreements to be made mandatory across the German retail sector.

"A universally binding collective agreement would then also apply to Amazon," Akman said.

Amazon operates 12 warehouses in Germany. Earlier Sunday, Amazon had announced plans to open a new warehouse in Germany this year and create more than 2,800 indeterminate jobs.