On one of the busiest shopping days of the year, protests against the working conditions at the American e-commerce behemoth, Amazon, gathered momentum on Friday, when employees at many locations throughout Europe went on strike.
"Make Amazon Pay", a campaign coordinated by the UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday - the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, when many retailers slash prices to boost sales - through to Monday.
Black Friday, which was first popularised by lines forming outside big-box stores in the United States, has spread throughout the world and online, partly due to promotions from Amazon offering ten days of holiday sales this year from November 17 to November 27.
Around 250 workers were on strike at an Amazon warehouse in Leipzig and another 500 at an Amazon warehouse in Rheinberg on Friday, according to trade union Verdi. Germany is Amazon's second-biggest market by sales last year.
The union announced that a 24-hour strike aimed at demanding a collective wage agreement had begun at midnight on Thursday at five fulfilment sites nationwide.
A representative for Amazon in Germany stated that employees receive additional perks in addition to fair pay, with a starting hourly rate of more than 14 euros ($15.27). According to the representative, Black Friday order deliveries will be dependable and punctual.
As part of a protracted salary dispute, more than 200 employees at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England, went on strike on Friday.
Nick Henderson, an employee at Amazon's Coventry warehouse, which serves as a logistics centre for processing goods for shipment to other warehouses, announced that he was going on strike in protest of his low pay and bad working conditions.
The striking employees were demanding that they should be paid 15 pounds ($18.69) per hour.
According to a representative for Amazon UK, the minimum beginning salary varies by location and is currently between 11.80 and 13 pounds per hour. beginning in April 2024, it will rise to 12.30 to 13 pounds per hour. Amazon said there will be no interruptions due to the walkout.
The Spanish union CCOO called for Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to hold a one-hour strike on each shift on "Cyber Monday," the final day of Amazon's ten-day sale, while the Italian trade union CGIL called for a Black Friday protest at the Castel San Giovanni warehouse.
Targeted are Amazon's parcel lockers, which are utilised by many customers to receive goods and are situated in train stations, grocery parking lots, and street corners.
The anti-globalization group Attac in France is urging activists to cover them in posters and ticker tape, which could prevent clients and delivery personnel from being able to open them.
The group Attac described Black Friday as a "celebration of overproduction and overconsumption" and stated that it anticipates a larger scale demonstration than the one that occurred the previous year, when it claimed that some 100 Amazon lockers were targeted in France.
In Europe, Amazon's popularity has not diminished despite the sharp rise of competitors such as Shein and Temu. According to data.ai, Temu had 51 million active users and Shein had 64 million in Europe in October, while Amazon's app had 146 million active users in the same month.
(Source:www.theprint.in)
"Make Amazon Pay", a campaign coordinated by the UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday - the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, when many retailers slash prices to boost sales - through to Monday.
Black Friday, which was first popularised by lines forming outside big-box stores in the United States, has spread throughout the world and online, partly due to promotions from Amazon offering ten days of holiday sales this year from November 17 to November 27.
Around 250 workers were on strike at an Amazon warehouse in Leipzig and another 500 at an Amazon warehouse in Rheinberg on Friday, according to trade union Verdi. Germany is Amazon's second-biggest market by sales last year.
The union announced that a 24-hour strike aimed at demanding a collective wage agreement had begun at midnight on Thursday at five fulfilment sites nationwide.
A representative for Amazon in Germany stated that employees receive additional perks in addition to fair pay, with a starting hourly rate of more than 14 euros ($15.27). According to the representative, Black Friday order deliveries will be dependable and punctual.
As part of a protracted salary dispute, more than 200 employees at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England, went on strike on Friday.
Nick Henderson, an employee at Amazon's Coventry warehouse, which serves as a logistics centre for processing goods for shipment to other warehouses, announced that he was going on strike in protest of his low pay and bad working conditions.
The striking employees were demanding that they should be paid 15 pounds ($18.69) per hour.
According to a representative for Amazon UK, the minimum beginning salary varies by location and is currently between 11.80 and 13 pounds per hour. beginning in April 2024, it will rise to 12.30 to 13 pounds per hour. Amazon said there will be no interruptions due to the walkout.
The Spanish union CCOO called for Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to hold a one-hour strike on each shift on "Cyber Monday," the final day of Amazon's ten-day sale, while the Italian trade union CGIL called for a Black Friday protest at the Castel San Giovanni warehouse.
Targeted are Amazon's parcel lockers, which are utilised by many customers to receive goods and are situated in train stations, grocery parking lots, and street corners.
The anti-globalization group Attac in France is urging activists to cover them in posters and ticker tape, which could prevent clients and delivery personnel from being able to open them.
The group Attac described Black Friday as a "celebration of overproduction and overconsumption" and stated that it anticipates a larger scale demonstration than the one that occurred the previous year, when it claimed that some 100 Amazon lockers were targeted in France.
In Europe, Amazon's popularity has not diminished despite the sharp rise of competitors such as Shein and Temu. According to data.ai, Temu had 51 million active users and Shein had 64 million in Europe in October, while Amazon's app had 146 million active users in the same month.
(Source:www.theprint.in)
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