news/AMZN/2023.03.01/Amazon workers to walk out today in Coventry as pay row rumbles on.txt

AMAZON workers have said that they are ready for a "David and Goliath battle" as they begin their second round of strikes this year over poor pay and working conditions.More than 350 workers at Amazon's Coventry warehouse will walk out today in a row over pay.Employees at the warehouse have said they want a wage of £15 an hour, after a recent rise saw their pay increase to £10.50 an hour.The workers initially began strike action in January, making history as the first UK branch of Amazon employees to revolt over conditions.Amazon workers will also walk out on Thursday 2 March and for five consecutive days from 13-17 March.Stuart Richards, senior organiser at GMB union, described the action as "a David and Goliath battle" and said its members were "determined to make sure it ends with a pay rise they deserve".Amazon is also facing allegations of poor working conditions, with workers previously alleging to the BBC that staff toilet breaks are timed."Amazon does not recognise the trade union involved (GMB) so this is a very difficult position to manage for them," Jo Mackie, head of employment law at Lawrence Stephens, told City A.M.When approached for comment on the strikes, an Amazon spokesperson said only a "tiny proportion" of its workforce was involved and defended its pay offer as "competitive".(c) 2023 City A.M., source Newspaper