© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A flag of German united services union Ver.di is pictured in front of the logo of Amazon on a warehouse in Bad Hersfeld May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

(Reuters) – Workers at Amazon (NASDAQ:)’s warehouses in Germany’s eastern city of Leipzig started a 48-hour strike on Monday to press for higher wages, the country’s public sector union ver.di said. The workers want a collective labour agreement that includes a 2.5 euro ($2.73) per hour wage increase for a 12-month period, a 250-euro wage hike for apprentices and for the labour agreement to be binding for the company. Ronny Streich, a representative of the ver.di union which called the strike, described Amazon’s offer of a 3% wage increase for the first year of the agreement as “a slap in the face”. Amazon said it sees no impact from strikes on its operations, adding that it provides “some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world” for its employees, “with competitive pay, processes, and systems to ensure their well-being and safety”.
“The converted starting wage in Germany is 13 euros gross per hour upwards (in Leipzig 13.43), including bonus payments,” the world’s biggest online retailer said. ($1 = 0.9173 euros)