Amazon

The GMB general union has withdrawn its claim for statutory recognition at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse, accusing the internet giant of “dirty tricks” to scupper its bid.

The union had put in a claim for recognition to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) after recruiting 800 of the around 1,400 workers which, it said, met the legal threshold of 50% membership to gain almost automatic recognition (see Labour Research, June 2023, page 7).

However, Amazon told the CAC it now had 2,700 workers — far more than it had earlier stated. This changed the maths, meaning a recognition bid would not succeed.