Labour Research October 2019

Union news

‘Significant’ agreement secured


The Unite general union has reached what it calls a “significant” recognition deal on behalf of cleaners at the Peterborough distribution warehouse of online giant Amazon. 


The cleaners are contracted by employment agency Mitie, and the union believes the agreement, signed after negotiations with Mitie and employment relations service Acas, is one of the few involving Amazon that unions have reached.


Unite regional officer Adam Oakes told the Morning Star the agreement was “a significant union bridgehead” at an Amazon site which has “an ambivalent view of unions”.


Unite has also won recognition for 435 “ambassadors” working across Heathrow airport’s five terminals. The ambassadors, who are employed by airport services supplier OmniServ Limited, provide assistance to passengers arriving at and leaving the airport. 


After a year-long campaign the union was able to show that the majority of the workers were members of Unite.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/cleaners-at-amazon-warehouse-sign-landmark-union-recognition-agreement