Black Friday is arguably one of the busiest shopping days of the year, with workers across Europe taking the opportunity to go on strike to protest Amazon's work practices. The strikes, taking place in more than 30 countries and organized by UNI global trade unions under the "Make Amazon Pay" campaign, will last from Friday, November 24 to Monday, November 27.
Amazon has been promoting its Black Friday deals all week long, starting on November 17, as part of its Black Friday deals week to attract sales as shopper demand increasingly shifts from brick-and-mortar stores to online storefronts like Amazon.com.
In Germany, trade union Verdi reported that about 250 workers, accounting for about 20% of the workforce, went on strike at an Amazon warehouse in Leipzig. In addition, about 500 workers went on strike at a warehouse in Rheinberg, accounting for nearly 40% of the total number of employees.
In France, anti-globalization group "Attac" planned a protest and Amazon parcel lockers were vandalized with posters and tape. The group said Black Friday "promotes overproduction and overconsumption" and estimated that its planned strike movement would be larger than last year, targeting about 100 lockers across France. These parcel lockers are located in public places such as metro stations.
Meanwhile, workers at a warehouse in Coventry, England, went on strike for higher wages and better working conditions. Starting wages currently range from £11.80 to £13 an hour, but Amazon said it will increase from £12.30 to £13 an hour by April 2024. Workers are demanding a starting wage of at least £15 an hour, a slogan they have been chanting on picket lines. Amazon UK said the strikes would not cause any disruption to operations that day.
In addition, Italy and Spain also plan to hold strikes today and on "Cyber Monday" respectively; but according to Amazon data, the strike in Italy does not seem to have any significant impact, with 86% of workers participating in work.