Amazon hit by strikes, protests across Europe during Black Friday trade
LONDON听–听Amazon聽workers came out on strike at multiple locations听补肠谤辞蝉蝉听贰耻谤辞辫别听on听贵谤颈诲补测听as听辫谤辞迟别蝉迟蝉听against the US e-commerce giant’s working practices picked up pace on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
“Make听础尘补锄辞苍听Pay”, a campaign coordinated by the UNI Global Union, said听蝉迟谤颈办别蝉听and听辫谤辞迟别蝉迟蝉听would take place in more than 30 countries from聽 – the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday, when many retailers slash prices to boost sales – through to Monday.
Originally known for crowds lining up at big-box stores in the US,聽叠濒补肠办听贵谤颈诲补测听has increasingly moved online and gone global, fueled in part by听础尘补锄辞苍, which advertises ten days of holiday discounts this year from Nov. 17 to Nov. 27.
In Germany,听础尘补锄辞苍‘s second-biggest market by sales last year,听迟谤补诲别听union Verdi said聽around 250 workers were on strike at an聽础尘补锄辞苍听warehouse in听尝别颈辫锄颈驳听on听贵谤颈诲补测,听about 20% of the workforce,and 500聽went on strike at a warehouse in Rheinberg – nearly 40% of workers.
The union said a 24-hour strike听补肠谤辞蝉蝉听five fulfillment centers in the country had started at midnight on Thursday to demand a collective wage agreement.
An听础尘补锄辞苍听spokesperson in Germany said聽only a small number of workers were on strike, and that聽workers are paid fair wages, with a starting salary of more than 14 euros ($15.27) an hour. The spokesperson said deliveries of聽叠濒补肠办听贵谤颈诲补测听orders would聽be reliable and timely.
In Coventry, England, more聽than 200 workers were striking on听贵谤颈诲补测听at听础尘补锄辞苍‘s warehouse as part of a long-running聽聽over pay.
Nick Henderson, a worker at the Coventry warehouse, which acts as a logistics hub for听础尘补锄辞苍听to process products to send to other warehouses, said he was striking for higher pay and better working conditions.
The striking workers were chanting their demand for a pay rise to 15 pounds ($18.69) an hour.
An听础尘补锄辞苍听UK spokesperson said minimum starting pay is between 11.80 pounds and 13 pounds an hour depending on location, and would increase to 12.30 to 13 pounds an hour from April 2024.听础尘补锄辞苍听said the strike would not cause disruption.
In Italy, there were competing reports on strike participation.聽罢谤补诲别听union CGIL聽said more than 60% of workers at the听础尘补锄辞苍听warehouse in聽Castel San Giovanni went on strike on听贵谤颈诲补测, but听础尘补锄辞苍听said more than 86% of workers came to work and there has been no impact to operations.
Spanish union CCOO聽听础尘补锄辞苍听warehouse and delivery workers to stage a one-hour strike on each shift on “Cyber Monday”, the last day of听础尘补锄辞苍‘s ten-day sale.
In France,听础尘补锄辞苍‘蝉听parcel lockers – located in train stations, supermarket car parks, and street corners, and used by many customers to receive orders –聽were also聽targeted.
Lockers in Paris and other cities in聽France were plastered with posters and ticker tape, according to anti-globalization organization Attac, which听辫lanned the protest.
Attac, which calls聽叠濒补肠办听贵谤颈诲补测听a “celebration of overproduction and overconsumption”, said it expects the protest to be wider than last year, when it estimates 100听础尘补锄辞苍听lockers听补肠谤辞蝉蝉听France were targeted.
础尘补锄辞苍听丑补蝉听听颈苍聽贰耻谤辞辫别听even as rivals like Shein and Temu have seen rapid growth.听础尘补锄辞苍‘s app had 146 million active users in聽贰耻谤辞辫别听in October, compared to 64 million for Shein and 51 million for Temu, according to data.ai. – Reuters
