Sunday, 01 December 2024

Amazon Workers Go On Worldwide Strike During Frantic Shopping Weekend

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Amazon workers in over 20 countries went on strike during the frantic shopping days from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

Workers are demanding higher wages and better working conditions.

“Protests can be expected in major cities in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Brazil and more,” ABC News noted.

UNI Global Union, a Switzerland-based global labor union, and Progressive International referred to the strike as “Make Amazon Pay.”

Per ABC News:

The strike could lead to delays in holiday deliveries for customers, economy experts told ABC News.

Unions and allied groups around the world are planning to participate, according to UNI Global Union.

Thousands of workers in the German cities of Graben, Dortmund Werne, Bad Hersfeld, Leipzig, Koblenz and Rheinberg planned to protest, in addition to hundreds in New Delhi, who are demonstrating to demand fair treatment following the mistreatment of workers during a heat wave in July, the union said.

The Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and Citizen’s Action will hold protests in multiple cities across France, and garment workers will also take to the streets in Bangladesh, the union said.

This year marks the fifth annual Make Amazon Pay demonstration, which aims to “hold Amazon accountable around the world” by targeting a busy holiday shopping weekend. In 2023, Amazon represented 18% of the worldwide Black Friday sales, with more than $170 billion in total holiday sales, according to an earnings report released earlier this year.

“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union.

“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. ‘Make Amazon Pay Day’ is becoming a global act of resistance against Amazon’s abuse of power,” Hoffman added.

Fox Business reports:

Amazon, in a statement to FOX Business, accused the organizers of being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.”

“The fact is, at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities — all from day one,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said. “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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