Online store and technology company Amazon faces strikes and protests by thousands of employees in nearly 40 countries on the day of the Black Friday deal.
Employees demand higher salaries and better working conditions in the United States, Great Britain, India, Australia and South Africa in particular.
An international coalition of trade unions is leading a campaign on Friday called “Make Amazon Pay.” In many countries, employees regularly express dissatisfaction with wages and the high workload in distribution centers. Additionally, the company reportedly bars employees from unionizing in some countries. Environmental and civil society organizations also joined in the day of the protest.
Black Friday, the day after the American Thanksgiving holiday, is known as the time when retailers offer discounted products. That is why this discount festival, which has gained importance in recent years also outside the United States, is one of the most important days of the year for Amazon. But in France and Germany, the CGT and Verdi unions are organizing strikes in eighteen large distribution centres, in order to thwart the distribution of ordered products via the Internet.
Strikes at Amazon centers are more the rule than the exception. In Germany, this was the case again in July, because the company did not pay its employees under stress during busy sales periods. Since at least 2013Unions in Europe complain about working conditions in and around Amazon.
Demonstration in Brussels too
In Brussels, a demonstration is planned against the “abuse of tax rules, the planet and the employees who run the group”, can we read on the campaign website. On the embankment in the center of Amsterdam, an action in solidarity with those held in the Amazon is planned.
In Great Britain, collaborators are protesting at distribution centres, such as Coventry Centre. “Amazon workers in Coventry are overworked, underpaid and fed up now,” says a campaign leader from Britain’s GMB union. However, employees who go on strike risk losing half of their £500 (€582) bonus. This may constitute prohibited leverage to prevent strikes, according to the GMB.
Bezos
In the heart of New York, a protest is planned outside Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Fifth Avenue apartment. In Bangladesh, workers from textile factories that supply Amazon are staging protest marches through the capital, Dhaka, and in Chittagong.
In reaction, Amazon declared “not perfect”, but to provide a great deal of good working conditions and a correct environmental policy. The spokesperson discusses the goal of zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040. Amazon also offers “competitive salaries and other attractive benefits, and finds new ways to keep employees healthy.”
However, Amazon’s response to such actions should always be taken with great caution. Thus, it was assumed that the company was not aware of situations in which employees had to defecate in bags to save time, while internal emails showed that Amazon was well aware of this. In the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, it also emerged that Amazon was positioning itself as a safe and friendly employer, when in practice it had no understanding of employees who called in sick. Even the vice president of Amazon went further I quit Because he no longer wanted to work in the company, when he discovered the toxic culture that prevailed there during Corona.
Employees demand higher salaries and better working conditions in the United States, Great Britain, India, Australia and South Africa in particular. An international coalition of trade unions is leading a campaign on Friday called “Make Amazon Pay.” In many countries, employees regularly express dissatisfaction with wages and the high workload in distribution centers. Additionally, the company reportedly bars employees from unionizing in some countries. Environmental and civil society organizations also joined in on the day of protest. Black Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, is known as the time when retailers offer discounted goods. That is why this discount festival, which has gained importance in recent years also outside the United States, is one of the most important days of the year for Amazon. But in France and Germany, the CGT and Verdi unions organize strikes in eighteen large distribution centers, in order to thwart the distribution of ordered products via the Internet, and strikes in Amazon centers are rather the rule than the exception. In Germany, this was the case again in July, because the company did not pay its employees under stress during busy sales periods. Since at least 2013, unions in Europe have complained about working conditions in and around Amazon. In Brussels, a demonstration is planned against “the abuse of tax rules, the planet and the employees who run the group”, can we read on the campaign website. On the embankment in the center of Amsterdam, an action in solidarity with those held in the Amazon is planned. In Great Britain, collaborators are protesting at distribution centres, such as Coventry Centre. “Amazon workers in Coventry are overworked, underpaid and fed up now,” says a campaign leader from Britain’s GMB union. However, employees who go on strike risk losing half of their £500 (€582) bonus. This may constitute a prohibited pressure tactic to prevent strikes, according to GMB. In the heart of New York, a demonstration is planned outside the apartment of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Fifth Avenue. In Bangladesh, workers at textile factories that supply Amazon have held protest marches through the capital, Dhaka, and in Chittagong. correct environmental policy. The spokesperson discusses the goal of zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040. Amazon also offers “competitive salaries and other attractive benefits, and finds new ways to keep employees healthy.” However, Amazon’s response to such actions should always be taken with great caution. Thus, it was assumed that the company was not aware of situations in which employees had to defecate in bags to save time, while internal emails showed that Amazon was well aware of this. In the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, it also emerged that Amazon was positioning itself as a safe and friendly employer, when in practice it had no understanding of employees who called in sick. The vice president of Amazon even went so far as to resign because he no longer wanted to work for the company, when he discovered the toxic culture that prevailed there during Corona.