Ballot win

The Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) has awarded the GMB a recognition ballot of workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse that could result in the company being legally bound to collectively bargaining with a union for the first time outside the US.

The decision came after more than a year of industrial action by the workers, including 30 strike days. The union had pulled out of an earlier recognition attempt when Amazon allegedly flooded the site with new workers.

Although the CAC did not find a majority of staff were members of the union, it said the proportion was high enough to warrant a ballot.

“Union membership of 35.62% in a proposed bargaining unit of some 3,088 is a relatively high proportion. In our experience, in such circumstances, support of recognition would be likely to surpass 35.62% by a margin which would take the total support to over 50%."