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- An Amazon executive said the company is "not concerned" about workers' unionization efforts.
- He said the company offers competitive pay and benefits so workers are unlikely to choose to unionize.
- Meanwhile, Amazon workers in the UK were striking in January over a meager wage increase.
An Amazon executive has opened up about the wave of unionization efforts gripping its UK workers saying the company is "not concerned" because it offers a competitive salary and benefits, CNBC reported Thursday.
Stefano Perego, vice president of customer fulfillment and global operations for North America and Europe at Amazon told CNBC: "As long as we offer competitive pay, invaluable benefits, we don't think that our people will choose to be represented, but this is their choice."
He added that Amazon is "not concerned because again, [it] is a choice our people has to make, and we know that we are very competitive."
Perego's comments come after over 300 workers at Amazon's Coventry warehouse walked out in January over an hourly wage increase of 50 pence (60 cents) — the strike is a first for Amazon in the UK.
"I wish we were treated like robots because the robots are treated better than us," Darren Westwood who works at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry told the BBC at the time.
Perego told CNBC that with over 220,000 employees in Europe, there are "very few situations where there is a union between us and our workforce."
Amanda Gearing, a senior organizer at the GMB union which represents Amazon workers in the UK told CNBC via email: "Mr Perego is clearly completely out of touch with his workforce if he thinks Amazon doesn't need to negotiate with GMB. It's one of the wealthiest companies in the world, yet the pay is paltry, not competitive."
Gearing added: "Amazon workers don't want 'invaluable benefits' - they want enough cash in their pockets to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families."
Amazon said to Insider in a statement: "We respect our employees' rights to join, or not to join, a union. We offer competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and great opportunities for career growth, all while working in a safe, modern, work environment. At Amazon, these benefits and opportunities come with the job, as does the ability to communicate directly with the leadership of the company."
GMB did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about Perego's view.
The tech giant has long resisted workers' efforts to unionize even paying anti-union consultants up to $20,000 a week. These consultants called union organizers "thugs" and promised to address workers' concerns if they didn't support the union.
Despite this, Amazon workers at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York achieved a rare win last year by successfully voting to unionize.