Amazon has allegedly made widespread attempts to coerce staff to cancel their trade union memberships. Credit: Sundry Photography via Shutterstock.com.

UK trade union GMB has initiated legal proceedings against e-commerce giant Amazon over workers’ rights. 

The union accuses Amazon of coercing employees to renounce their union membership.  

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The legal action, known as an inducement claim, allows Amazon workers to formally contest their employer’s efforts to dissuade them from upholding their trade union and collective bargaining rights. 

The GMB alleges that Amazon has implemented aggressive tactics to pressure staff into leaving the union.  

According to the union, the retailer installed QR codes within its fulfilment centres that, when scanned, generate an email to the union’s membership department requesting the cancellation of the worker’s membership. 

Amazon is also accused of compelling employees to participate in hour-long anti-union seminars led by senior managers, during which workers are subjected to anti-union rhetoric on company time.  

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The union also claims that anti-union messages have been prominently displayed across Amazon workplaces, including on billboards and digital screens. 

Allegations of bullying and intimidation of union representatives among Amazon’s staff have also surfaced.  

GMB senior organiser Amanda Gearing said: “This is a company out of control. Amazon is a multi-billion-pound corporation, doing everything in its power to stop minimum-wage workers from forming a union. 

“Their latest American-style anti-union campaign proves they will stop at nothing to beat the rules that every other employer in the UK is expected to follow. It’s desperate measures and goes some way to show why Amazon workers are so determined to win the union recognition they deserve.” 

The legal proceedings come shortly after GMB’s victory in a formal recognition ballot at an Amazon fulfilment centre, marking a significant milestone in the union’s efforts to engage with the e-commerce retailer on issues such as pay, working hours and holidays.  

This is a historic achievement for the union, representing the first instance of such recognition for Amazon workers outside the US.