Hundreds of Amazon staff in Essex stop work in protest at 35p pay rise

It is understood workers at the facility earn a minimum of £11.10 an hour, with those employed for at least three years on a minimum of £11.35. They are calling for a £2-an-hour raise but both groups are being offered the 35p deal.

The action comes as Amazon faces increasing pressure to improve treatment of its warehouse workers, including from some shareholders.

The company reported its second quarterly loss in a row last month amid rising costs of fuel, energy and transport, but said it was trying to offset that by making its delivery network more efficient.

Steve Garelick, a regional organiser at GMB, said some workers had faced disciplinary action and a withdrawal of pay over the stoppage that began on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday.

Amazon denied there had been any disciplinary action.

Amazon does not recognise trade unions in its UK warehouses, or in most other countries around the world, but GMB said it would support members on site who had faced disciplinary procedures.

In April, Amazon workers in New York voted to form a union in efforts to secure longer breaks, paid time off for injured employees and an hourly wage of $30 (£24.70), up from a minimum of just over $18 an hour offered by the company.

The rising cost of living has led to a spate of industrial action across the UK, including by railway staff, BT workers and dockers as families struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis.

However, delivery drivers have complained of real-terms pay cuts since the peak season last year as shoppers have returned to high street stores after the lifting of Covid restrictions.