A union called for the immediate closure of the U.K. warehouse after multiple cases were detected
09:00 ET, 25 Jan 2026Updated 10:53 ET, 25 Jan 2026
(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 25, 2020 an Amazon distribution center is seen as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States, in North Las Vegas, Nevada. – Jeff Bezos said February 2, 2021, he would give up his role as chief executive of Amazon later this year as the tech and e-commerce giant reported a surge in profit and revenue in the holiday quarter. (Photo by David Becker / AFP) (Photo by DAVID BECKER/AFP via Getty Images)(Image: )
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in the U.K. are threatening to walk off the job after tuberculosis cases were detected among employees.
The GMB, the workers’ union, is calling on Amazon to suspend operations at the warehouse in Coventry and give employees full pay “until appropriate infection control measures are implemented to prevent the further spread of TB.”
Amazon in September said that 10 people tested positive for non-contagious TB and that no further cases were detected. The company continued operating the warehouse as usual. It comes after Amazon expands one major service that threatens traditional grocers.
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A spokesperson said a “screening program” would be put in place out of “an abundance of caution.”
“In line with best practice safety procedures, we immediately followed guidance from the NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and made all potentially affected employees aware of the situation,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to follow guidance from the experts in the NHS, and would respectfully remind public organizations of the need for responsible communications where matters of public wellbeing are concerned.”
The GMB is calling for Amazon to temporarily suspend operations at the Coventry warehouse(Image: Getty)
The GMB says Amazon isn’t doing enough. The union said the company must take “immediate and decisive action,” GMB Senior Organizer Amanda Gearing said. “Amazon is putting all workers, site visitors, and the local and wider communities at risk of exposure to a serious infectious disease.”
“Coventry Amazon risks becoming the engine room of a mass TB outbreak on a scale not seen for decades. Immediate and decisive action — including the temporary closure of Amazon Coventry — is required to prevent this,” Gearing continued.
The Coventry warehouse employs about 2,000 workers, 700 of them are GMB members. Amazon has said that deliveries have not been affected as the site operates as a sorting facility only.
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Coventry MP Taiwo Owatemi said she is closely monitoring the situation at the warehouse and stressed that Amazon has a “clear responsibility” to protect its workers.
“Amazon has a clear responsibility to look after its employees and to ensure that the working environment is safe, transparent, and responsive to legitimate health concerns,” she said. “I support the GMB in calling for strong and proactive measures to protect staff, including sending workers home on full pay while comprehensive screening and appropriate infection control measures are completed.”
“I will continue to monitor this situation closely and expect Amazon to work constructively with the NHS, public health authorities, and GMB to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to safeguard workers,” the MP continued.
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