Bengaluru — Amazon.com said on Tuesday it would raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour for US employees from November, seeking to head off criticism of working conditions at the world’s second most valuable company.The online retail behemoth said it would now lobby in Washington for an increase in the federal minimum wage and urged its competitors to follow its lead as the union-led "Fight for 15" movement pushes for higher remuneration.The new minimum wage will benefit more than 250,000 Amazon employees in the US, as well as more than 100,000 seasonal workers who will be hired across the country during the festive season, Amazon said."We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead," founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement."We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us," said Bezos.Amazon, which became the second firm after Apple to cross $1 trillion in market value in Septe...

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