AMAZON UK WORKERS CHALLENGE USE OF QR CODES FOR QUITTING UNION

(Bloomberg) -- Five Amazon.com Inc. workers at a UK warehouse are challenging the company’s introduction of posters with QR codes that let employees cancel their union membership in seconds.

The five workers in Coventry, supported by their union and legal advocacy group Foxglove, filed a complaint Friday with Acas, an independent body that mediates employment disputes. It’s a required step before bringing their claim to an employment tribunal.

The posters are displayed in the canteen, meeting rooms, hallways and toilets and are featured several times an hour on screens in the warehouse, according to a video seen by Bloomberg and a statement from the trade union GMB. Workers who scan the code with a phone and click the link automatically generate an email to the union asking to cancel their membership. It includes fields for entering a membership number and contact details.

The union described the process as “much easier than canceling Amazon Prime,” the online retailer’s subscription service.

The workers allege the posters are part of an illegal anti-union campaign, which also includes pressure from managers and seminars where Amazon discourages employees from joining. Union members at the Coventry warehouse, which employs about 3,000 people, are seeking to be legally recognized by Amazon.

“I was disgusted by the QR codes,” said Darren Westwood, one of the five, who has worked at the Coventry warehouse for 4 1/2 years. He said the campaign has had the opposite effect, driving about 200 workers to sign up for membership in recent weeks.

“A lot of people are pushing back,” he added.

Messages on some posters, seen by Bloomberg, include “Why pay for something you already have?” and “You decide what’s best for you.”

Amazon spokesperson Tim Hobden said in a statement employees had told the company it was difficult to cancel their membership. The company hasn’t received any notification of legal action and doesn’t believe the workers’ claim has merit.

“We agree that everyone has the right to choose to join a union, and that everyone also has the right to leave a union if they choose,” he said.

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2024-04-26T16:49:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd