« Inadmissible ». The Amazon France inter-union did not consider the proposed salary increase sufficient, raised to 3.5% by management. Thursday, April 14, the third – and last – meeting of the mandatory annual negotiations ended without an agreement. Since April 3, the world leader in e-commerce has been the subject of work stoppages in France, giving rise, in its warehouses, to rotating walkouts and strike pickets.
“Management has passed its proposed increase from 3% to 3.5%, and that’s it”, regrets Alain Jeault, of the CGT Amazon. The figure, notes the inter-union, is lower than inflation, which jumped in March to 4.5% over one year – unheard of since 1985, according to INSEE. It is this return to rising prices which, as in many companies, worries employees.
“At the same time, we learn that Amazon is imposing a 5% surcharge on merchants on delivery prices, in the name of inflation and the price of gasoline”brocades Morgane Boulard, of the CFDT Amazon. It is valid for them, but not for us? » The unions also repeat that the profit of Jeff Bezos’ company grew in 2021 by 57%, to 33 billion dollars (30 billion euros).
The inter-union remains “united”
On the other points of negotiation, the management raised the retirement bonus, but the unions only see a return to an improved offer (6,400 euros net, according to an elected official), already accessible previous years. Management maintains that its offer is “very attractive”. And higher than the increases in the branch or large companies in general (the budgets devoted to the mandatory annual negotiations are up 2.35% in March, according to Deloitte).
With the 2% increase granted for the 2021 negotiations, the salary at Amazon will have increased by 5.5% in two years, almost as much as the 6% increase in the minimum wage between October and May 2022. Amazon also lists the others benefits: 13e month, bonus of 150 euros at the end of the year, one free action per year (at 2,900 euros in 2022)… Finally, management emphasizes that the strikers (2,000 people in total over fourteen days, for 12,500 warehouse employees ) are not “not in the majority”.
The inter-union, which remains “Union”, must now decide what to do next. In the absence of signature, the company can decide unilaterally. Will employees want to mobilize more? “The question of the renewable strike, continuously, arises”, believes Laurent Degousée, of the SUD Commerces federation, adding that the situation at Amazon is “scrutinized outside”.