So Close, Yet So Far—GMB Loses Amazon Workers’ Union Vote

A union vote among Amazon workers in Coventry ended in a loss for GMB and those in support of unionizing. The vote came quite close to making GMB the first union at Amazon’s facilities in the UK, however, 50.5 percent of the employees voted against it. With 49.5 percent in favor of GMB, the union lost by only 28 votes, stating that they fell ”agonizingly short” of securing a win. The union has accused Amazon of union-busting activities within the warehouse which ultimately discouraged a large number of voters from supporting the union. 

Amazon gained its first union in the States only two years ago, when a small group of Staten Island workers came together and ensured a historic win after considerable campaigning. So it’s unsurprising that workers in other regions are still faced with a struggle to unionize. 

Image: Amazon

Amazon Workers Say “No” In The Recent Union Vote 

GMB, a general trade union in the United Kingdom, is one of the largest unions in the region with 500,000 members across public and private sectors. The union began to pursue its unionization efforts at Amazon after a group of workers in Coventry began to protest against Amazon’s offer to increase pay by 35p to 50p per hour despite all the work the employees had done during the pandemic. 

In January 2023, GMB members helped organize the first strike against the company in the UK, urging workers to walk out and take a stand despite Amazon asserting that the strike would have “zero impact” on its functioning. The workers went on strike again more recently in March, reasserting their demand for better pay. Despite the considerable support for the union seen during the strikes, Amazon workers have voted to reject the union as of now. 

This means GMB can only try to negotiate a voluntary deal with Amazon without unionizing first, but it’s highly unlikely that the e-commerce powerhouse will warm to any conversations about brokering a deal. The Amazon union’s fight for recognition will have to wait at least three years before it gets another chance to apply for statutory recognition.

The Amazon workers’ union decision is a big blow to the ambitions and expectations of GMB, and the stinging bite of having 49.5 percent of the 2,600 votes serves as a reminder of just how close the workers came to solidifying a union in Coventry.

GMB Accuses Amazon of Union Busting Activities

The Amazon Coventry vote might be lost to GMB but they don’t plan on accepting the defeat in silence. In a statement on their website, the union explained that the Amazon workers’ union vote was skewed by the anti-union campaign the company engaged in during the weeks leading up to the vote. Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organizer, said “Amazon bosses have created a culture of fear for low paid workers trying to improve their pay, terms and conditions. From day one Amazon have been relentless in their attacks on their own workforce.” 

According to her, Amazon workers were made to attend six-hour sessions of anti-union seminars, and workers were told that they would lose benefits and be skipped over for pay raises if they voted in favor of the union. Amazon also reportedly had anti-union signboards up, which encouraged employees to scan a QR code that would send an email to the union to cancel the membership. Such campaigning during the ballot period is generally frowned upon but it did not stop the organization from engaging in these activities.

Amazon has had a bad rep among workers for poor working conditions, excessive surveillance, and insufficient safety procedures within the warehouses. Considering these elements, the workers’ effort to unionize across its many different centers represents their attempts to present a united front to the company. Union efforts can be seen coalescing across the globe with Samsung workers striking in Korea and the UAW dealing with some wins and losses in its expansion plans in the U.S. While these groups have won the battle of unionizing, the UK’s Amazon union is still fighting for recognition to represent the workers.

The organization has been highly resistant to all union activities and the results of Amazon’s Coventry vote suggest that things will remain the same in the region for a while. The Amazon Labor Union in the U.S. recently voted to join the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters so it appears the company has been unable to discourage all union activities entirely.

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