LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. technology and retail

giant Amazon ( AMZN ) could soon be required to formally

recognise the GMB trade union at its Coventry warehouse in

Britain, after a government body ruled in the union's favour.

GMB said in a statement on Friday that Amazon ( AMZN ) workers at the

site would now vote on union recognition, and if approved, it

would be the first time outside the United States that Amazon ( AMZN )

was required to bargain with a union over pay, hours and

holiday.

Amazon ( AMZN ) has historically opposed unionisation, but in 2022,

workers at one of its New York warehouses forced the company to

recognise a trade union in the U.S. for the first time.

The company's preference has been to resolve issues with

employees directly rather than through unions.

Workers at the Coventry warehouse in central England have

been involved in a dispute over pay and union recognition for

over a year.

Amazon ( AMZN ) said in an emailed statement: "Our employees have

the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have.

We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages

and benefits."

The company employs 75,000 people in the UK, making it

one of the country's top ten private sector employers.