The TUC says it is ready to carry on the struggle for fair representation after Amazon workers in Coventry missed union recognition by just 29 votes. They are hence fighting hard for their rights, even when Amazon is working so hard the other way.

Amazon workers recently had a vast vote in the Coventry warehouse. They were balloting on whether the union GMB should act on their behalf in talks over pay and conditions. It might have been the first time Amazon would pay heed to a union in the UK, if the workers had not voted the idea out by just 29 votes. Those who cast their opinion, 50.5% voted no. If only 15 more people had voted yes, it would have made all the difference.

The outcome was described as not very pretty by the TUC. The general secretary, Paul Nowak, said the Amazon attitude is about doing everything to stop workers having a voice. He promised that the battle would continue on, and they won’t stop running a light on bad employers.

The union officials said that.that Amazon had been creating this “culture of fear,” while using alternative methods to scare the workers. They argued that Amazon did not want workers to be supportive of the union. The recognition bid had been a year-long fight. Whereas.union officials had meetings with the workers to explain their side, the managers at Amazon held separate meetings to argue back and defuse the union.

Stuart Richards, a senior organizer at GMB, said the union may consider legal recourse in the matter. “Amazon have been relentless in attacking their own workers. They’ve pressured them into attending long anti-union seminars and spent a lot of money to scare them,” he said.

The workers were voting because the Central Arbitration Committee, acting as an independent body, ruled that they had the right to do so. Amazon, however, had refused a request for voluntary recognition of the union. Independent advisors oversaw the ballot to make sure everything was fair.

Had the vote gone in their favor, the GMB union would have had the right to negotiate with the company on pay and working conditions for the workers. It would have marked the first time Amazon recognized a union in the U.K., as well as only the second time the company had done such outside the United States.

The shadow business secretary said that the workers have been told by Amazon that they will not get a pay rise this year and they may lose benefits if they back the union. He added, “Union-busting has no place in 21st-century Britain. It’s clear Amazon can’t be trusted to follow the rules.”

Even as the vote was lost, Richards said this was just the beginning. He mentioned that Amazon now faces a legal challenge and that the fight for workers’ rights is still alive.

Callum Cant is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex, focusing on the gig economy. “Amazon’s ant-union stance won this time, but the issues of work intensity and wages that caused this dispute are still there. “

Under the current rules, a union that loses a vote cannot reapply for recognition with the same group of workers for three years. The government says it is trying to make it easier for trade unions to gain recognition. But it remains to be seen whether any change would do anything to help the Amazon workers.

Thanking everyone who took part in the ballot, Amazon said the vote represents a massive cultural change at the company, which prides itself on the work culture of labor relations and having daily conversations with employees. “We are proud of the work conditions, salaries, and benefits that we offer, of the career opportunities, and of our workplace environment,” they added.

Will Amazon re-recognise the union after 3 years? Will Amazon change its worker representation model? The struggle for fair treatment in the Coventry warehouse goes on.