Amazon said on 2 October that it would increase its minimum wage from $11 to $15 (£11.57) which will be an increase for more than 350,000 workers.  It is also increasing its minimum wage in the UK from £8 to £10.50 an hour in London and £9.50 across the rest of the country in a move that will benefit 40,000 staff.  The new rate in the UK is higher than the level recommended by the Living Wage Foundation of £8.75, or £10.20 in London. The company said the changes would apply for all workers, including those on full-time and part-time contracts, as well as seasonal staff and temporary workers hired by recruitment agencies.

The move comes after intense pressure over the last year regarding the firm's employment practices particularly in warehouses which have been the subject of long-running protests about insecure work and poor conditions.  Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO said “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead".  Amazon also said it would also lobby the US government to increase the federal minimum wage.