The vote on the formation of the first union representation at the online mail order company Amazon in the USA is to be repeated.

The US labor law authority (NLRB) granted on Monday the objection of the trade union RWDSU, which Amazon had accused of undue influence and rule violations.

The result of the vote among employees at the logistics center in Bessemer, Alabama, was therefore canceled.

A large majority of employees voted against employee representation in April.

However, Amazon's "intimidation and interference" prevented a fair vote, explained RWDSU boss Stuart Appelbaum.

The decision of the labor law authority has now confirmed this.

No union at Amazon yet

The responsible NLRB representative Lisa Henderson gave the reason, among other things, that Amazon had given the impression of "recording the identity of the employees who voted".

A date for the new vote has not been set.

The online giant initially did not want to comment on whether to appeal the decision.

In a statement, the company pointed out that workers in Bessemer had already refused to form a union in April.

“It is disappointing that the NLRB has now decided that these votes shouldn't count.

As a company, we do not believe that unions are the best solution for our employees, ”said an Amazon spokeswoman. 

So far, no Amazon subsidiary in the US has managed to form a union.

An association of warehouse workers at the mail order company in New York started an attempt in October to set up an employee representative body.

Amazon is criticized in the USA because of the working conditions.

Unions and politicians criticize the fact that the employees at Amazon are exposed to high work pressure and permanent control.

In Germany, the Verdi union has been fighting for years to ensure that Amazon employees get a collective agreement and are paid according to the tariff for retail and mail order.

Amazon had profited massively from closed stores in the wake of the corona lockdowns.

The group employs around 1.3 million people worldwide;

In 2020, around 500,000 additional people were hired.