amnesty international workers start strike [View all]

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LONDON (AP) -- Amnesty International workers in London walked off the job on Tuesday as the second strike in as many months raised questions about the organization's ability to remain one of the world's pre-eminent human rights advocates.

Workers from Amnesty's international and local British operations picketed their London headquarters, an embarrassment to a group that campaigns for the rights of workers. The walkouts are a public airing of staff complaints that have been building for years, with tensions rising dramatically in recent weeks as Amnesty's international operations prepare to re-organize.

Spokeswoman Jo Cardwell from the Unite union said several hundred workers from Amnesty's two London offices were taking part in the job stoppage.

"We've got a lot of people on the picket line," she said. Some carried candles.