These are new people who’ve come through today with incredible energy. Stuart is in a very upbeat mood, beaming with a smile. ‘You’ve just witnessed the first victory of the day,’ exclaims Stuart Richards, senior organiser at the GMB Union. The mood is jubilant, and workers cheer loudly as the lorry performs a U-turn. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a movement.’Īs we speak, a lorry turns around at the vehicle entrance of the warehouse after workers convince the driver not to cross the picket line. And they can’t miss this noise and movement. They’ve got to actually speak to us and try and get us back on site. ‘The management inside realise they can’t beat us with sticks anymore. When I am in the smoking shelter, people used to ask me questions about the union under their breath, and now it’s an open conversation.’ Building a Movementĭarre n has certainly been a busy man, speaking to workers in other warehouses and helping to build the GMB union across the country. ‘People have the confidence to have those conversations out loud. In total, there are about 400 workers here taking strike action-something Connor and Darren never thought they’d ever see.ĭarren is overjoyed with the energy displayed on the picket line today and says he sees it in the warehouse too. They can afford to pay us, but they’re choosing not to.’ We found out during that event that the Amazon employees in JFK now earn about $21 an hour, which is about £18, and we’re on £10.50. ‘It was such an honour to share a platform with Chris Smalls,’ says Connor. Last week, Darren joined a fellow worker, Connor, to speak on a panel in London alongside the President of the Amazon Labour Union, Chris Smalls, from the United States-a moment he describes as surreal. He’s now come out publicly, talking to media outlets on camera about the experiences of himself and his fellow workers. Today, I can sit back and just enjoy this show.’ĭarren has spoken to Tribune twice in the past under a pseudonym. I was worried that we wouldn’t have the impact we had before. ‘I tried to go to bed and got up by two o’clock in the morning. ‘I didn’t sleep last night,’ says Darren Westwood, an Amazon worker at the site in Coventry. But despite management’s tactics, workers are taking the lead. That nervousness was not unfounded an anti-union drive in the warehouse in the weeks leading up to the strike and the presence of private security recording their actions on the day meant many workers felt a sense of intimidation. There is an air of confidence about the workers. This time the atmosphere is more jubilant. It was even colder last month when Amazon workers in Coventry made history by engaging in the UK’s first formal Amazon strike. It might be cold, but I’m feeling the warmth of the picket line. I arrive outside the Amazon warehouse in Coventry around 6AM on a chilly Tuesday morning.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |