A man has a FIT-CISL flag outside a distribution center during a strike at Amazon’s logistics operations in Italy, in Passo Corese, Italy, on March 22, 2021.
Remo Casilli | Reuters
Amazon warehouse workers and distributors have gone on strike in Italy to raise concerns about working conditions.
The 24-hour strike takes place at several Amazon stores in Italy, including Tuscany, Florence and Pisa. The FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL and Uiltrasporti unions said it was the first national strike to affect all of Amazon’s logistics operations in Italy.
The strike comes as tensions have risen between Amazon and its frontline staff in Europe and the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. Warehouse workers in Italy and other parts of Europe went on strike last year to ask Amazon to implement greater security measures against coronavirus. U.S. workers also took part in protests and protests last year to highlight similar concerns.
In addition, warehouse workers at Amazon’s facilities in Bessemer, Alabama, known as BHM1, are currently voting to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Unions have a stronger focus on some of Amazon’s European workers, but Amazon has managed to put organizational efforts aside in the US
FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL and Uiltrasporti called the strike after they said they had broken off negotiations with Assoespressi, a business association representing e-commerce and last-mile messengers, including some of the third-party delivery companies of Amazon in Italy.
Workers and unions are asking Amazon and Assoespressi to engage in discussions about shifts, work pace, job security when contracts change, fewer hours of work for drivers, and more job stability for temporary workers, among other issues. They are also asking for access to a “Covid subsidy for operations in constant pandemic conditions.”
Salvatore Pellecchia, general secretary of FIT-CISL, told CNBC in a statement that 75% of Amazon workers in Italy took part in the strike on Monday. He added that the union expected lower participation because many of the participants are temporary workers, who believe their job could be at risk if they strike.
“If Amazon does not change its position, we will be forced to organize another strike,” Pellecchia said in a statement. “Amazon has seen a huge increase in turnover and profits thanks to the pandemic, and now it has to talk to us to give its employees what they expect.”
Stuart Jackson, communications director for Amazon’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told CNBC in a statement: “The fact is that Amazon and our Italian network of independent delivery service providers already offer what they demand these groups: excellent pay, excellent benefits and excellent opportunities for professional growth, while working in a safe and modern work environment. The unions know this. “
Representatives of FILT-CGIL and Uiltrasporti did not immediately respond to a request for comment.