Strikes and demonstrations are expected to take place in around thirty countries on Black Friday on 24 November as part of an action plan to demand a pay rise for staff employed by e-commerce giant Amazon.
Final details of the plan were decided in a meeting labelled "Make Amazon Pay" organised by Progressive International and UNI Global Union in Manchester on Friday. A spokesperson for Progressive International, which brings together and mobilises progressive left-wing activists and organisations, said that Amazon's financial results showed that the company could afford to pay its employees a decent wage and negotiate with the unions.
Amazon announced yesterday that profits in its quarterly earnings had almost tripled year on year as revenue reached $143.1 billion.
The industrial action is expected to be the biggest ever seen for Amazon and will be carried out on Black Friday, a major shopping event where consumers can take advantage of discounts. It is an important calendar fixture for online retailers, who typically make major revenue gains by selling large quantities of discounted products.
Related News
- Amazon marks one-year anniversary of Belgian operations
- 'Empty spaces in city centres': Bankruptcies in Belgium set to increase in 2023
"While we know we still have work to do, we're proud of the progress we've made," said an Amazon spokesperson. "We've created millions of good jobs while helping to create and support hundreds of thousands of small businesses around the world."
However the multinational corporation has come under fire for both its treatment of workers and tax avoidance tactics. In the UK, it again paid no tax this year.
