Amazon hit by strikes in Germany

One of Amazon's key sites in Germany was the target of fresh walkouts by staff on Monday in an long-running wage dispute.

The services sector union Verdi has called for morning stoppages at Amazon's logistics centre in Leipzig.

And "participation has really been quite high," said Verdi spokesman Thomas Schneider.

He did not specify how many employees took part in the strike, but the group has a workforce of around 2,000 in Leipzig, of whom 700 are Verdi members.

Leipzig is one of Amazon's nine sites in Germany and has been regularly hit by walkouts over the past year.

Verdi has been trying for months to get Amazon to bring the pay of its 9,000 workers in Germany in line with wages in the distribution sector.

Amazon refuses, arguing that its distribution centres are logistic sites and that it pays its staff accordingly. Wages in the logistics sector in Germany are lower than in the distribution sector.

© 2014 AFP