Amazon.com Inc. is facing Black Friday strikes from warehouse workers and drivers in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., the United Kingdom and Germany.
The strike for better pay and working conditions is timed to coincide with the start of the busy holiday shopping season. “Strikes & protests in over 30 countries for dignity on the job & a sustainable future for all!” tweeted the UNI Global Union on Nov. 13.
“While tripling profits in Q3 2023, Amazon subjects warehouse workers and drivers to a high-pressure environment that breaks their bodies and ultimately forces them to quit,” the UNI Global Union said in a statement. The UNI Global Union is a federation with affiliates in 150 countries and represents more than 20 million workers in the services sectors, according to its website.
The organizations involved in the “Make Amazon Pay” campaign include Amazon Workers International, a coalition of Amazon workers from countries such as Germany, Poland, Spain, France and the US.
Related: Amazon makes big progress on profits, and its stock heads higher
Shares of Amazon
AMZN,
-1.68%
fell 0.5% Friday. The stock has risen 73.8% in 2023, outpacing the S&P 500 index’s
SPX
gain of 18.7%.
“The vast majority of these allegations are false or misinformed,” an Amazon U.S. spokesperson told MarketWatch. “The fact is Amazon has created millions of good jobs, while helping create and support hundreds of thousands of small businesses around the world. We offer great pay and benefits for our employees, with great career opportunities, and provide a modern and safe working environment for all.”
“We continue to invest in the countries and communities where we operate, and we’re proud to be the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy,” the spokesperson added. “That’s part of our drive to be net zero carbon by 2040, with billions already invested in packaging reduction, clean energy and electric vehicles.”
Related: Amazon launches program to train millions of workers in AI
A spokesperson for Amazon in Germany told the Wall Street Journal that the strike won’t affect deliveries. “We offer great pay and benefits for our employees, with great career opportunities, and provide a modern and safe working environment for all,” an Amazon U.K. spokesman told the WSJ.
Amazon kicked off its Black Friday holiday discount event on Nov. 17. Its Cyber Monday weekend event starts Saturday and runs through Nov. 27.
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