UK Amazon Workers Narrowly Reject Union In Historic Vote

The GMB has narrowly lost its historic bid for union recognition at the Amazon warehouse in Coventry.

The GMB is considering trying again to get recognition at the Coventry site and said that discussions are taking place about its strategy. I Photo: Amazon

Approximately 49.5% of workers balloted voted in favor, while 50.5% voted against. The union needed a majority to vote in favor, Zoe Conway and Faarea Masud reported for BBC News.

If the GMB, established in March 1889, had won, it would have been the first time Amazon recognized a union in the UK.

The GMB, which lost by 28 votes, said its drive for recognition fell “agonizingly short” and accused Amazon of “union-busting.”

It said there were “anti-union messages by company bosses, including multiple anti-union seminars” at the warehouse. It added that “the fire lit by workers in Coventry and across the UK is still burning” and that the union would “carry on the fight” for low-paid workers.

The online giant would have been forced to negotiate with workers on issues such as pay and conditions. In a statement, Amazon said it placed "enormous value on engaging directly" with staff.

"We look forward to continuing on that path with our team in Coventry," it added.

The GMB, which has a membership of 600,000, told the BBC it is considering trying again to get recognition at the Coventry site and that discussions are taking place about its strategy.

The process would include persuading the Central Arbitration Committee, which is in charge of overseeing applications for recognition, that the pool of workers eligible to vote had changed.