Amazon.com workers in Germany set to strike for pay, benefits

German labour union Verdi called on workers at Amazon.com to stage a strike in the country on Tuesday to put pressure on the global internet retailer to improve pay and benefits.

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Amazon employs around 9,000 people in Germany and has come under fire from trade union Verdi for refusing to implement a collective agreement on employment conditions, similar to other mail order and retail firms.

Amazon's German operations were not immediately available to comment.

The union is also pressing for higher basic pay and bigger supplements for night shifts.

Verdi said in a statement on Tuesday that the strike was slated to start at 6 am local time (0400 GMT) and would last until the end of the late shift.

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In the eastern city of Leipzig, the union is calling for starting pay of 10.66 euros an hour, compared with 9.30 euros now. In Bad Hersfeld, they want pay of 9.83 euro to be increased to 12.18.