UNITE has warned Amazon not to use union-busting tactics in Britain and Ireland after the delivery giant was accused of intimidating workers across the globe. 

As reported in the Star at the weekend, US Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, lost their ballot to form what would have been a groundbreaking union to protect workers in precarious employment . 

The vote was reportedly plagued by a “catalogue of tactics” to stop workers organising, Unite said, accusing the company of spending thousands of dollars a day on anti-union consultants.

In Spain, Amazon is facing legal action for using the notorious Pinkerton agency to monitor warehouse workers planning a strike in Barcelona, according to local press reports.  

The company also hired two former FBI agents in September to track “labour organising threats,” Unite said.

The union has pledged “not to be deterred” from its campaign to give Amazon workers a voice across the pond.

Unite executive officer Sharon Graham said: “The union in Alabama put up a brave fight in the face of a methodical anti-union campaign. 

“If Amazon is genuine about respecting British workers’ rights to [unionise] as it recently claimed, then it should sign up to a declaration of neutrality [which] guarantees workers the freedom to form a union without fear. 

“Amazon must pledge not to use other anti-union tactics like spying on its workers. The intrusive surveillance tactics Amazon has employed elsewhere has no place in 21st-century Britain.”

An Amazon spokesperson denied the company had intimidated workers, adding: “Our employees are the heart and soul of Amazon, and we’ve always worked hard to listen to them [and] make continuous improvements.

“We’re not perfect, but we’re proud of our team and what we offer, and will keep working to get better every day.”