[1/2] A flag of German united services union Ver.di is pictured in front of the logo of Amazon on a warehouse in Bad Hersfeld May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerJune 26 (Reuters) - Workers at Amazon's (AMZN.O) warehouses in Germany's eastern city of Leipzig started a 48-hour strike on Monday to press for higher wages, the country's public sector union ver.di said. The workers want a collective labour agreement that includes a 2.5 euro ($2.73) per hour wage increase for a 12-month period, a 250-euro wage hike for apprentices and for the labour agreement to be binding for the company. Amazon is not bound by collective agreements and doesn't take part in these negotiations. "The converted starting wage in Germany is 13 euros gross per hour upwards (in Leipzig 13.43), including bonus payments," the world's biggest online retailer said.

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Persons: Lisi Niesner, ver.di, Ronny Streich, Andrey Sychev, Matthias Williams, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bad Hersfeld, Germany's, Leipzig, Germany