LONDON: Workers and activists throughout Europe are preparing to stage demonstrations against the U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon today (Friday).
Their aim is to disrupt warehouse operations and impede merchandise deliveries to Amazon parcel lockers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
On Black Friday, following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, numerous retailers slash prices to drive sales. Initially associated with crowded queues at large retail stores in the U.S., this event has progressively shifted online and expanded globally, partly due to the influence of Amazon (AMZN.O). The company has advertised a ten-day holiday discount period this year, running from November 17 to November 27.
In Germany, the second-largest market for Amazon by sales in 2022, employees at five fulfilment centers in Bad Hersfeld, Dortmund, Koblenz, Leipzig, and Rheinberg plan to strike for 24 hours starting midnight on Thursday. Their demand is for a collective wage agreement, according to trade union Verdi.
A spokesperson for Amazon in Germany contends that workers receive fair compensation, starting at over 14 euros ($15.27) per hour, along with additional benefits. The spokesperson assured that Black Friday orders would be delivered reliably and punctually.
Meanwhile, over 1,000 workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse in England are set to strike on Friday over a prolonged disagreement concerning wages, as reported by trade union GMB. Additionally, unionists are organizing a demonstration at Amazon’s UK headquarters in London.
An Amazon UK spokesperson downplayed the impact of the strike, stating it wouldn’t cause any disruptions.
The focus of the protest extends to Amazon’s parcel lockers. These lockers, situated in train stations, supermarket parking lots, and street corners, are frequently used by Amazon shoppers to collect their orders.
In France, the anti-globalization group Attac is rallying activists to cover these lockers with posters and ticker tape, potentially hindering delivery personnel and customers from accessing them.
Attac denounces Black Friday as a “celebration of overproduction and overconsumption” and anticipates a larger protest this year compared to last, estimating that around 100 Amazon lockers were targeted across France in the previous year.
In Italy, the trade union CGIL has called for a strike on Black Friday at the Castel San Giovanni warehouse, while the Spanish union CCOO has urged Amazon warehouse and delivery employees to stage one-hour strikes during each shift on “Cyber Monday,” the final day of Amazon’s ten-day sale.
The “Make Amazon Pay” campaign, overseen by UNI Global Union, is coordinating strikes and protests in more than 30 countries from Black Friday through to Monday.
