Thousands of Amazon workers will be taking to the streets on Black Friday to show their anger at the company’s pay policies, environmental impact, anti-union stance and dubious tax policy.
Employees from more than 20 countries have joined together with protests planned in the US, Germany, the UK, Turkey, Canada, India, Japan and Brazil among other countries.
There is swell of action at the multinational as workers across the world have decided to act against a C-Suite they argue treats its employees as “disposable”.
Mounting Anger from Amazon Staff
The action is being coordinated by the Make Amazon Pay campaign, which has brought together more than 80 trade unions and action groups. They are planning on hitting Amazon hard with global walk outs from Black Friday to Cyber Monday (November 29 and December 2).
Leading the movement is the Swiss-based UNI Global Union for service industries and the activist umbrella group Progressive International, (whose council members include actor John Cusack), says The Guardian.
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Among the planned events is a protest outside of Amazon’s UK headquarters on Bishopsgate in London on Black Friday. Activists from the UK-based GMB Union will deliver a petition that has more than 110,000 signatures on it to the company’s UK bosses. They will then march to 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (or the person who holds the purse strings for the Government).
What Are Amazon Staff Angry About?
The protesters are calling Amazon to account for everything from workers’ rights to the damage they say the company is doing to the environment in its relentless pursuit of profits.
Amanda Gearing, a senior organizer at GMB, told The Guardian: “Here in the UK Amazon represents everything that is broken about our economy. Insecure work, poverty wages and often unsafe working conditions: GMB will not let these shape the world of work for the next decade.”
Christy Hoffman, the general secretary of UNI Global Union, said that this, the fifth year of global protests, has been driven by a lack of change. “Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy,” she says, adding that it is also a stance against Amazon’s anti-union policy.
“Bezos’s company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers’ desire for justice – for union representation – can’t be stopped. We stand united in demanding that Amazon treat its workers fairly, respect fundamental rights, and stop undermining the systems meant to protect us all,” she added.
Amazon Hits Back
Amazon has responded that the allegations are unfair. An Amazon spokesperson said: “These groups represent a variety of interests, and while we’re always listening and looking at ways to improve, we remain proud of the competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and engaging, safe work experience we provide our teams.”
However, these protests also come at a time when the company’s stringent RTO policies have also drawn dismay from employees, not least from disabled employees who argue that the company is making it difficult for them. Earlier this month, disabled employees were told that they will have to submit to a “multilevel” review that may include month-long in-office trials.
It also comes just weeks after the ecommerce giant launched Amazon Haul – a competitor for budget (and China-based) ventures, Shein and Temu. It offers cheap products and free delivery for any order under $25. It does work with longer shipping times, though this isn’t likely to put shoppers off though will definitely be adding to the workload of the company’s already disgruntled employees.
