Workers protest over Amazon working conditions on Black Friday
Workers employed by online retail giant Amazon located in 20 countries, including the UK and US, protested on Black Friday over pay and working conditions.
Make Amazon Pay, the campaign group behind the protest, is backed by a coalition of labour groups, trade unions, grassroots campaigns and non-profit-making organisations in all of the countries involved. In the UK, that includes the GMB Union, Trades Union Congress, Momentum, War on Want, International Transport Workers’ Federation and Labour behind the Label.
Legal strikes cannot take place as no UK Amazon warehouses are unionised, so protests were staged at buildings in Coalville in Leicestershire, Coventry, Peterborough and at the business’ London headquarters.
Mick Rix, national officer at GMB, said:
“This company is a pandemic profiteer and can afford to do better. It’s time for Amazon to sit down with their workers’ union GMB and make Amazon a great, safe place to work.”
Owen Espley, who runs the War on Want campaign group, added that Amazon’s growing power is “a threat” to communities and workers around the world. He said:
“Amazon is abusing its dominance across online retail, cloud services, and logistics, to create unfair competition that is driving down standards for everyone. Workers face unsafe conditions, constant surveillance and are treated like robots. It’s time for Amazon to pay fair wages, fair taxes, and for its impact on the planet.”
An Amazon spokesperson said:
“At Amazon, we take our responsibilities very seriously. That includes… providing excellent pay and benefits in a safe and modern work environment, and supporting the tens of thousands of British small businesses who sell on our store.”
Worldwide, nearly 50 organisations have signed up to a list of "common demands", published by the Make Amazon Pay coalition, which include:
- Raising warehouse workers' pay and adding hazard pay and peak time increments.
- Halting worker "surveillance" and strict productivity targets.
- Extending sick leave and improving COVID-19 tracking and reporting.
- Ending casual employment status and "union-busting" activities.
- Paying taxes without using loopholes or tax havens.
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