German union calls for strikes at seven Amazon sites

FRANKFURT -The German labour union Verdi on Sunday called on employees to strike at seven different Amazon locations in a protracted pay dispute.

The strikes are planned to start on Monday at some of the distribution centres and will initially last through Tuesday, a spokesperson said.

Amazon said in a statement that it offers excellent pay, benefits and career opportunities.

"No-one here earns less than 12 euros ($13.87) gross per hour plus extras," the company added.

Without giving exact figures, Verdi has demanded that Amazon raise pay in line with agreements the union has struck with the broader retail and mail-order industries in Germany.

($1 = 0.8650 euros)