A year and a half ago, workers at the Amazon warehouse in Coventry, England, launched the first-ever formal strike against the retail giant in British history. Today the workers finish voting on whether to unionize.
Amazon workers chant on a GMB Union picket line outside the online retailer’s warehouse in Coventry, England, on November 24, 2023. (Jacob King / PA Images via Getty Images)
It has been a year and a half since workers at the Amazon warehouse in Coventry shook the retail giant with the company’s first-ever formal strike in British history. From that time, they have become used to seeing the company’s anti-union material displayed in the workplace.
But all of this only foreshadowed the scale of the union busting brought in by management as workers prepared to vote in a ballot for statutory union recognition.
Union recognition would mean Amazon would be forced to sit down with the GMB Union to negotiate on matters relating to pay, worker safety, and terms and conditions. A victory here would empower Amazon workers everywhere.
From the moment workers enter the workplace, they are faced with huge posters telling them why they shouldn’t vote for union recognition. As they go through the walkway into the main building, they walk past four display screens pumping out anti-union messaging. Once they enter the main building, they find even more pop-up displays, posters, display screens, and notices on the back of toilet doors.
All of the workers have been told to attend up to six management meetings to be regaled with tales of how Amazon really does listen and how managers will be making changes for the better. Managers have been brought in from other sites to help spread the company’s anti-union propaganda through one-on-one conversations with workers. The messaging is constant and unrelenting.
Amazon is throwing huge amounts of time, money, and resources into trying to stop workers from voting for union recognition. This is a company that is panicking.
Amazon’s management is heavily investing in discouraging unionization. It is evident that they fear transparency and the prospect of revealing their financial records through legal processes stemming from union recognition. This could expose practices they would rather keep hidden, hence their extensive efforts to influence voting against union recognition.
Ceferina Floresca is one of the instigators of Amazon’s agitation. She is one of the forty workplace leaders who have led workers through thirty-seven days of strike action and built a union of around 1,400 members inside the warehouse.
She is clever, articulate, and a force of nature. One of the many mistakes Amazon bosses have made is underestimating her and her union colleagues.
They are the reason for the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) — the government body responsible for regulating collective bargaining — determining that it is likely that the majority of workers are in favor of union recognition. They are the reason for a ballot for union recognition at Coventry being forced on Amazon.
In a sea of union busting, Ceferina’s face is one of those appearing on the three display screens given over to the union during the ballot period. The one union notice board echoes her words and those of her colleagues.
It was Ceferina and her colleagues who led the union meetings held inside the warehouse, with around 2,500 workers being able to listen to the reasons for union recognition and ask questions about the wild rumors being spread by management.
“Being a GMB member enables me to represent my colleagues and be their advocate for fair treatment and better working conditions. After spending five years at BHX4 [Coventry warehouse], we have forged bonds. We spent nearly ten hours together each day navigating the same challenges, fostering a sense of camaraderie and understanding.”
Ceferina and the other workplace leaders have the same lived experience as the other Amazon workers. They have experienced the grueling ten-hour shifts and had to work up to sixty hours a week just to make ends meet. They have seen colleagues taken to the hospital taxis after bosses told first-aiders not to call ambulances. They know what it’s like to work at Amazon. They are trusted.
When Ceferina tells workers the rumors of the site closing as a result of union recognition are nonsense, they believe her. When she says union recognition doesn’t mean losing benefits — it means fighting for better and saying no to losing even more benefits — they believe her.
“I believe I can be a voice for the countless individuals who work alongside me at BHX4. It is about standing shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues, amplifying their voices, and fighting for a future where every worker is paid a decent wage and treated with dignity and respect.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Amazon’s union busting hasn’t had an impact. When speaking to Amazon workers, you can see that many are frightened by the company’s threats and rumors. Managers have told workers there will be no pay award this year if workers vote for union recognition. They have told workers there will be no pay award this year and they will lose benefits if there is union recognition. For workers who are already struggling with the cost of living and who have already had years of benefits taken from them, this is no small threat.
But Ceferina remains confident. “Looking ahead to the ballot, I’m optimistic. Recent political shifts and a growing sentiment for improved labor conditions suggest a positive outcome is achievable. Many are eager for change both nationally and within Amazon. Our goal as a union is to advocate for fair treatment and better conditions, echoing the broader desire for improvement.”
Going forward, Ceferina has a clear message for bosses: “To Amazon management, I urge you to embrace transparency and fairness. Instead of resisting unionization, view it as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your workforce. Workers are not just resources. They’re essential partners in the company’s success.”
The ballot for recognition closes inside the warehouse today, and the outcome will be released when the final votes are counted on Monday, July 15.
Whatever the result, Amazon in the UK faces huge changes as workers continue to organize in warehouses throughout the country.
“Joining the union is my response to a convergence of deeply felt concerns and unmet expectations. It represents my commitment to demand better compensation in the face of the escalating cost of living crisis.”
Ceferina’s reasons for joining GMB and organizing her workplace are shared by many Amazon workers. It is clear that the fire lit by Ceferina and her colleagues in Coventry has sent sparks right across Amazon UK warehouses.