Amazon to pay employees £500 to alleviate cost of living pressures
Amazon has announced a one-off payment of up to £500 for its hourly paid employees to help them with the cost of living crunch.
Employees will receive two instalments of £250, one this month and one in December.
It comes as the tech firm has received some scrutiny over pay at its UK warehouses in recent months.
Amazon said in a statement: “Amazon employees receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits. Starting pay is a minimum of between £10.50 and £11.45 per hour, depending on location.”
The e-commerce giant also said that its workers receive “a comprehensive benefits package” which includes private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, subsidised meals, and an employee discount.
Last month, the GMB union said its members based in Coventry will be the first Amazon workers in the UK to take part in a formal industrial action ballot. The vote closes mid-October, with any industrial action likely to take place in November.
GMB official Amanda Gearing said: “These Amazon workers will be the first in the UK to take part in a formal strike ballot – they’re making history. They’re being offered a 35p-an-hour pay rise during the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation – and that’s from a company worth more than £1 trillion. Understandably, they are furious.”
“Amazon can afford to do better,” she said. “It’s not too late to avoid strike action; get round the table with GMB to improve the pay and conditions of workers.”
