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Hundreds of Amazon workers in the UK protested after Jeff Bezos’s company offered them just a 42 cent hourly pay increase while inflation in the UK is approaching 13 percent in 2022.
These protests broke out in warehouses across England. One warehouse worker, 31, complained to Business Insider about the working conditions at these locations.
“Managers treat staff like slaves. It’s stressful. I can’t eat or sleep properly,” he said.
Wired magazine reported that workers at these facilities had been anticipating raises of about $1.20 per hour, which would be an increase of about 9 percent for many. But news of the 42 cent increase flashed on their screens instead, prompting word to spread to other facilities.
GMB, the trade union that represents employees at a facility in Tilbury, told Engadget that the company did not agree to its request of a $2.44 increase. A regional organizer told a news outlet that Amazon is “one of the most profitable companies on the planet. With household costs spiraling, the least they can do is offer decent pay.”
The Trends Journal identified Unionization as a TOP TREND FOR 2022. Amazon has been accused by some employees of intimidation and retaliation as a tactic to prevent the growth of unions at fulfillment centers. (See “UNIONIZATION ON-TREND: AMAZON WORKERS VOTE TO UNIONIZE” and “UNIONIZATION TOP 2022 TREND: TRADER JOE’S VOTE TO UNIONIZE.”)
Amazon told the union that it would not meet its pay demands and was accused of pulling catering stations at the facility and threatening employees at the Tilbury facility that they would be fired if they walked out, Engadget reported.
“Amazon continues to reject working with trade unions to deliver better working conditions and fair pay. Their repeated use of short-term contracts is designed to undermine worker’s rights,” the union said.
The company has about 70,000 workers in the UK and told Reuters in an email that starting pay for employees would increase to 11.45 pounds from 10.50.
TRENDPOST: We have long noted that Amazon employees have complained that they work in draconian conditions.
Steven Greenhouse, a journalist and author, wrote in The Guardian earlier this year that the average Amazon warehouse worker leaves the job within just eight months, which is an “unmistakable sign that Amazon’s jobs are unpleasant, to put it kindly, and that many workers quickly realize they hate working there because of the stress, breakneck pace, constant monitoring and minimal rest breaks.”
The shortage of workers and the desire of employed workers to organize and go on strike share a common root cause: people are far less inclined to perform menial, unfulfilling jobs for meager pay. (See “STARBUCKS STORE TO UNIONIZE, A TOP TREND FOR 2022?” “ACTIVISION STUDIO GROUP WILL FORM A UNION, SOLIDIFYING TRENDS JOURNAL FORECAST,” “POLITICO JOURNALISTS FORM UNION. A TREND OF THE TIMES” and “REI: UNIONIZATION TREND EXPANDS AS FORECAST.”)
Lufthansa Reaches Deal With Ground Staff, Pilot Talks Still Up in the Air
Lufthansa, the major German airline, said Thursday that it reached a deal with the union representing its ground workers after a paralyzing strike last month that resulted in the cancellations of over 1,000 flights.
The deal will increase monthly basic salaries for members of the Ver.di trade union by 2.5 percent by January 2023 and then the salaries would increase by another 2.5 percent in July 2024, DW.com reported. About 20,000 workers are impacted by the deal.
Christine Behle, the union’s chief negotiator, said check-in staff would benefit from wage increases of between 13.6 and 18.4 percent based on seniority.
Vereinigung Cockpit, the German pilot union, held a vote last month that called for an industrial action move that could pave the way for a pilot strike. Pilots voted 97.6 percent in favor of the move that calls for 5.5 percent salary increases. They also want an automatic inflation compensation going forward.
WSWS.org reported that the pilots’ union agreed in 2020 to reduce their salaries by up to 50 percent during the COVID-19 outbreak. At the same time, Berlin bailed out the airline.
The company recorded $265 million in net profit between April and June of this year, DW.com reported.
Michael Niggemann, the airline’s chief human resources officer, said he was “confident” that “good solutions would also be achieved” with the pilots.
Unions Going Vogue
Anna Wintour, the iconic editor-in-chief at Vogue, is reportedly facing a staffing revolt while she tries to put together the magazine’s famous September issue.
The Daily Mail reported that workers at the glossy are revolting over union recognition, pay, and contracts.
Hundreds of workers at Condé Nast—the company behind Vogue—announced in April that they formed a union and requested the NewsGuild of New York to be their collective bargaining representative.
The employees had been pushing for better pay, job security, and a stronger commitment to diversity from the company.
Hundreds of employees called out what they see as the company’s “hypocrisy” when it comes to diversity in the workplace. Workers formed outside Wintour’s townhouse in New York City with placards that read, “You can’t eat prestige’ and ‘The boss wears Prada, the workers get nada.”
A Condé Nast spokesman said at the time that the company plans to “have productive and thoughtful conversations with them over the coming weeks to learn more.”
The Daily Mail reported that there is still some discontent among employees. Wired, another magazine published by the company, saw a staff revolt last month that threatened ad revenue by disabling links from Wired.com. The report said Vogue staffers are considering the same tactic.
“Staff across the titles have learned how to hit Conde where it hurts,’ a source told Emily Prescott, the writer for The Daily Mail. “There’s a lot more people displaying their “Conde Union” badges on their work emails and [workplace messaging service] Slack chat profiles now.”
TREND FORECAST: Unionization will continue to be a Top Trend; the more limited the supply of workers made worse by “No Jab, No Job” mandates; (See “WANT TO KEEP YOUR JOB? GET THE JAB!” and “NO JAB, NO JOB. VACCINE MANDATES ‘WORKING’”), the more powerful the trend toward unionization will be.
June’s consumer price index was up 9.1 percent, which was the biggest jump in 40 years, and the price jump impacted household goods.
While some aspects of Inflation will moderate, others will stay high amid the growing conflict in Ukraine and sanctions leveled by the U.S. and NATO against Russia.
And, as inflation continues to rise faster than wages, corporations that wish to incentivize their workforce to do and give the best they can, will raise the pay scale to levels higher than inflation rates. In doing so, they will create atmospheres of mutual appreciation.