BERLIN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Employees at Amazon's logistics center in Leipzig began a strike on Tuesday. The German trade union ver.di had called for the strike which would last 24 hours, according to Thomas Schneider who is leading the strike.
The strike in Leipzig was part of a series of strikes at Amazon logistics centers in German cities, which ver.di announced on Monday. Some of the strikes were expected to last several days.
An Amazon spokesperson told Xinhua on Tuesday, "While we do not provide exact numbers, we are seeing very limited participation across Germany with zero operational impact and therefore no impact on customer deliveries".
Amazon employees wanted to emphasize their demands for a collective agreement and significant wage increases, according to the German trade union.
"Collective agreements are a sign of respect and recognition of work. The employees are also demanding the same from Amazon," said ver.di board member Stefanie Nutzenberger.
Ver.di has been in a long-running dispute with Amazon since 2013 because it wants the U.S. company to reach collective bargaining agreements, which are common in Germany, with its employees.
Amazon has insisted it can be a fair and responsible employer without collective bargaining. "We treat our employees well and pay attractive wages," the company's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
