According to a statement from the UNI Global Union, this was the fourth year that Make Amazon Pay was organised as a global day of action on Black Friday.
Published Nov 25, 2023 | 3:09 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 25, 2023 | 3:09 AM
A Make Amazon Pay protest in Manchester. (Supplied)
Amazon was expected to face strikes and protests from Friday, 24 November, to throughout the weekend and even Monday as part of the Make Amazon Pay campaign.
The strike happened to start on Black Friday — currently the world’s busiest shopping day of the year.
Its origins lie in the US, where the day after Thanksgiving — a Friday — has come to be considered the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
“Workers know that it doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what your job title is. We are all united in the fight for higher wages, an end to unreasonable quotas, and a voice on the job,” said Christy Hoffman, the general secretary of UNI Global Union, one of the leaders of the strikes, which are expected to take place across 30 countries.
According to a statement from the UNI Global Union, this was the fourth year that Make Amazon Pay was organised as a global day of action on Black Friday.
In previous years, thousands of workers went on strike at facilities throughout Germany, France, Spain, the UK and Italy, it said.
Garment workers took to the streets in Bangladesh, while workers in the US organised walkouts, it added.
Civil society allies held demonstrations projecting the Make Amazon Pay logo at Amazon headquarters all over the world, said the organiser.
The words “pandemic profiteer” were on the mansion of Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos as part of the agitation.
Co-convened by UNI Global Union and the Progressive International, Make Amazon Pay is said to bring together over 80 unions, civil society organisations, environmentalists and tax watchdogs including UNI Global Union, the Progressive International, Greenpeace, 350.org, Tax Justice Network and Amazon Workers International.
A new report by the US-based National Employment Law Project (NELP) claims that Amazon’s warehouse workers receive significantly lower wages compared to other workers in the sector.
The report also says their emoluments are considerably less than the average earnings in their corresponding US counties.
The campaign claims to be united behind a set of common demands that Amazon pays its workers fairly and respects their right to join unions, pays its fair share of taxes, and commits to real environmental sustainability.
