Eastbourne campaigners protest against Amazon

A spokesperson from Unite said the trade union submitted the first formal complaint to the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) against Amazon for abuse of its market position in relation to ‘price gouging’ in the pandemic.

A Unite spokesperson said, “Vulnerable and older people who had to stay at home and those who relied on home deliveries would have been particularly exposed to inflated prices for essential items on the Amazon website.

“Unite is calling for Amazon to repay the overcharges.

“For example, Carex antibacterial hand lotion usually costs around £1. In March 2020 the price on Amazon increased to £26.41.

“The price of a Braun Thermoscan 7 digital thermometer shot up over £100 – going from £39.99 to £149.99.”

The prices mentioned were first published by Which? in March 2020.

The spokesperson added, “The union is calling on Amazon to sign up to a declaration of neutrality, which includes commitments that recognize workers’ rights to unionise.”

An Amazon spokesperson said, “There is no place for price gouging on Amazon.

“We worked with the CMA more than a year ago to stop attempts by some sellers to take advantage of the global health crisis.

“Our action at the time was clear and decisive - we removed the offers referenced in this complaint and terminated seller accounts.

“We continue to monitor our store 24/7 to remove offers that violate our policies.”