'Make Amazon Pay': Retail behemoth faces 'Black Friday' strikes in 40 countries demanding better wages
More than 10 US cities will have protests and rallies, and there will also be one outside a Jeff Bezos-owned apartment in New York. Photograph:( AFP )
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In France and Germany, the strike is being led by the CGT and Ver.di unions at 18 major warehouses to halt shipments from the European markets
In France and Germany, the strike is being led by the CGT and Ver.di unions at 18 major warehouses to halt shipments from the European markets
One of the world's biggest companies Amazon will see demonstrations on the day of Black Friday sales. Thousands of warehouse employees across 40 countries will hold protests and strike on the same day.
In a movement called "Make Amazon Pay," workers in the US, UK, India, Japan, Australia and around Europe are demanding improved pay and working conditions as the cost-of-living problem worsens.
Christy Hoffman, general secretary for UNI Global Union said, "It's time for the tech giant to cease their awful, unsafe practices immediately, respect the law and negotiate with the workers who want to make their jobs better," Bloomberg reported.
In France and Germany, the strike is being led by the CGT and Ver.di unions at 18 major warehouses to halt shipments from the European markets.
In the UK, the workers affiliated with the GMB union will stage protest outside several warehouses. Senior organisers from the union said that nearly 100 workers will gather to seek a salary hike from 10.50 pounds to 15 pounds.
More than 10 US cities will have protests and rallies, and there will also be one outside a Jeff Bezos-owned apartment in New York.
Also read | Amazon to shut down its online learning platform for Indian high-school students
As per reports, other protests are also scheduled in India and Tokyo. Bangladeshi textile workers will hold strikes in Dhaka and Chittagong.
The e-commerce behemoth earlier laid off nearly 10,000 workers. The firm has been struggling with employee unrest, with claims of unfair labour practises and staff activity.
In response, a spokesman for the company said, "While we are not perfect in any area if you objectively look at what Amazon is doing on these important matters you'll see that we do take our role and our impact very seriously." The spokesman added that the company is offering competitive wages and great benefits with its plans to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
(With inputs from agencies)
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