Invited by Germany’s Ver.di union (United Services Trade Union), on 29 and 30 April trade unions from the services and retail sectors across 15 different countries, along with representatives from the global services federation UNI Global, met together in Berlin to formulate a joint strategy aimed at countering practices by the online retailing giant, Amazon. Beyond regular demands for representation, salaries, working time and so on, the trade unionists are seeking to open up dialogue with Amazon management on the topic of the place for people within an automated digital world of work. Planet Labor interviewed Ver.di federal secretary, Orhan Akman, in order to gain a greater understanding on the content of the two-day meeting.
Applying international pressure on Amazon. Ver.di’s dispute with Amazon goes back almost 6 years. As such it is certainly the most longstanding social conflict in Germany and not one about to be concluded quickly, because the trade union and its counterparts abroad have decided to broaden its scope to the international stage. Thus the two-day Berlin gathering on 29 and 30 April that welcomed representatives from the global union federation UNI Global as well as some 70 trade unionists from Fran
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