Amazon workers at six sites across Germany plan to strike Monday because dozens of staff members at its logistics centers have been infected with the coronavirus, union officials told Reuters. The union says the company is prioritizing profits over workers’ safety.
Labor union Verdi says “at least 30 to 40 colleagues were infected” with the virus, according to Reuters. The strike will last 48 hours and be conducted with the motto “good and healthy work.”
Amazon warehouse workers in Germany have struck several times in recent years, over worker pay and conditions.
In recent months, Amazon warehouse workers in the US have staged protests over what they say are unsafe working conditions, and walked off the job in several cities. Workers criticized the company for not notifying workers when colleagues tested positive for the coronavirus. A group of three Amazon warehouse workers in New York filed suit against the company earlier this month, alleging the company put them and their families at risk of contracting the virus.
At least seven Amazon warehouse workers in the US have died from COVID-19 since the outbreak began.
Monday’s strikes are planned for Amazon sites in Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld, Rheinberg, Werne, and Koblenz, Reuters reported. Germany is the e-commerce giant’s second-biggest market after the US.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
