In several European countries, the employees of the American internet retailer Amazon are on strike starting today, Reuters reported. The Make Amazon Pay campaign is coordinated by the UNI Global Union trade union. It said protests would take place in more than 30 countries from today’s Black Friday sale until Monday. The Czech branch is apparently not affected by the strike. Amazon has faced criticism for years that its employees are poorly paid and have to work in difficult conditions. In Germany and Britain, protesters are demanding better wages.
Labor Strike Erupts Across Amazon’s European Warehouses
In Germany, which is Amazon’s biggest market after the United States, around 250 workers at a warehouse in Leipzig, roughly a fifth of the workforce, are on strike, according to the Verdi union. Another 500 people, or 40 percent of the workforce, are protesting at a warehouse in the town of Rheinberg. The union reported that a 24-hour strike at five distribution centers began at midnight today and its participants are demanding a collective wage agreement.
A spokesman for Amazon in Germany said only a small number of workers were on strike and that people at the company were being paid a fair wage. The starting fee is more than 14 euros per hour. The spokesman added that there would be no problem with today’s orders.
UK Workers Demand Pay Increase
At Amazon’s logistics center in the British city of Coventry, from where goods are sent to other warehouses, more than 200 employees are on strike due to a protracted dispute over wages. Participants in the protest demand an increase in the hourly wage to 15 pounds.
A spokesperson for Amazon UK said the minimum starting wage is between £11.80 and £13 an hour depending on location, rising to £12.30 to £13 an hour from April 2024. According to the company, the strike will not disrupt operations.
In Italy, reports of participation in the strike are mixed. The CGIL union said more than 60 percent of workers at Amazon’s warehouse in the town of Castel San Giovanni are on strike today. But Amazon claims that more than 86 percent of employees came to work.
Black Friday is moving to the Internet in a big way over time. This year, Amazon announced a ten-day sale from November 17 to 27.
Source: čtk
