Unionised workers at all eight Amazon France logistics centres walked out on strike over pay and conditions on Tuesday.

While Amazon denied that this impacted operations, a CFDT union official, Morgane Boulard said that this amounted to 1,200 workers had joined the industrial action since it began on Monday.

Five unions represent the workers in question – Sud, CFDT, CGT, CAT, CFE-CGC, who have collectively agreed not to talk to management over pay increases of less than 5%. They will next speak to management on 14th April.

“Within the framework of annual salary negotiations, we proposed wage increases that were above the average (increase) of the Transport and Logistics branch as well as other advantages, and these issues are still being discussed,” Amazon France said in a statement.
Amazon dislikes unionised workforces as can be seen in its unsuccessful fight to prevent its US workers unionising last week. France however has a much stronger tradition of workers’ collective action. It remains to be seen how this strike in France has an impact on staff pay there.