Public pressure works

Amazon has raised its minimum wage for British and American workers, in a major milestone for campaigners pushing for pay increases to tackle rising levels of poverty and inequality.

The company, which has become almost a byword for low-paid and low-quality work in recent years, said it would increase the minimum wage to $15 (£11.57) an hour in the US for more than 350,000 workers, while almost 40,000 staff in Britain will get an increase to £10.50 an hour in London and £9.50 across the rest of the country.

[...]

Lifting the wage for its workers, designed to tackle the firm’s critics head on, means Amazon UK will pay more than the current national minimum wage of £7.83 for workers over the age of 25. The new rate is also higher than the level recommended by the Living Wage Foundation of £8.75, or £10.20 in London.

The current minimum wage for UK Amazon workers is £8 an hour, meaning they will get a minimum increase in pay of 18%. The rise for London workers will be 28%.

The current lowest wage paid to US workers is $11 an hour, meaning the minimum rate will rise by 36%.

[...]

The company said the changes would apply for all workers, including those on full-time and part-time contracts, as well as seasonal staff and temporary workers hired by recruitment agencies.

[...]

The decision to raise workers’ pay comes after years of intense criticism of Amazon over a range of issues ranging from its tax affairs to employment practices, which critics argue have helped it to undercut traditional high street retailers. The company has recently faced a string of protests across Europe by workers demanding better working conditions.

  The Guardian

So, American Amazon workers, thank your European counterparts.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE:  Jesus Fucking Christ