Amazon Workers Staging Black Friday Protests & Strikes In 15 Countries
As the biggest shopping day of the year arrives, Amazon workers have revealed that they’re staging Black Friday protests and strikes in at least 15 countries, calling it #MakeAmazonPay.
In addition to warehouse workers, on Friday (Nov. 27) social and environmental justice activists around the world are reportedly set to stage a series of coordinated protests, strikes and actions to obtain online retailer respect and better workers’ rights. Their asks also include, their right to participate in union activity, for employers to stop circumventing tax laws and for them to commit to higher environmental standards.
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It’s reported that on this year’s Black Friday, the planned events will occur in Brazil, Mexico, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Australia. In a statement sent to Amazon, which was signed by 39 organizations, it reads, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon became a trillion dollar corporation, with Bezos becoming the first person in history to amass $200 billion in personal wealth. Meanwhile, Amazon warehouse workers risked their lives as essential workers, and only briefly received an increase in pay.”
The statement continues, “Like all major corporations, Amazon’s success would be impossible without the public institutions that citizens built together over generations. But instead of giving back to the societies that helped it grow, the corporation starves them of tax revenue through its world beating efforts at tax dodging.”
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Meanwhile, Conor Sweeney, a spokesperson for Amazon’s Luxembourg headquarters says, “This is a series of misleading assertions by misinformed or self-interested groups who are using Amazon’s profile to further their individual causes. Amazon has a strong track record of supporting our people, our customers, and our communities, including providing safe working conditions and leading $15 minimum wage and great benefits, leading on climate change with the Climate Pledge commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040, and paying more than $5 billion in taxes globally.”