Amazon workers across 20 countries and cities are planning to walk out from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday.
The planned strikes, organised by UNI Global Union and Progressive International, are said to hold the company accountable for what it called “labour abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy”.
The “make Amazon pay” protest is set to take place across 20 different countries and cities in the UK, US, Germany, Japan and Brazil.
This year marks the fifth year in a row for the strike taking place, as organisers purposely choose Amazon’s busiest time of year to protest.
In 2023, Amazon’s Black Friday sales made up 18% of the world’s total sales during the major shopping event.
It isn’t yet known how many Amazon workers are expected to participate in the Black Friday weekend strikes, but it is reported that thousands are going to strike in Germany alone.
In the UK, Canada and Germany, many workers and unions have accused Amazon of allegedly intimidating workers to prevent them from joining a union.
Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union said: “Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy.
“Bezos’s company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organising, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers’ desire for justice and 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. ‘Make Amazon Pay Day’ is becoming a global act of resistance against Amazon’s abuse of power.”
A spokesperson for Amazon told ABC News: “This group is being intentionally misleading and continues to promote a false narrative…the fact is, at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities.”
Another Amazon spokesperson told Fox News: “At Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities — all from day one. We’ve created more than 1.5 million jobs around the world, and counting, and we provide a modern, safe, and engaging workplace whether you work in an office or at one of our operations buildings.”
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