Amazon was hit by strikes and protests across Europe during Black Friday trade

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) – Amazon (AMZN.O) workers went on strike at multiple sites across Europe on Friday as protests against the U.S. e-commerce giant’s labor practices accelerated on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. .

Make Amazon Pay, a campaign coordinated by the global union UNI, said strikes and protests will occur in more than 30 countries starting on Black Friday – the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, when many retailers cut prices to boost sales – and through Monday. .

Originally known for crowds lining up at supermarkets in the United States, Black Friday has increasingly moved online and gone global, fueled in part by Amazon, which is advertising a ten-day holiday sale this year from November 17 to November 27.

In Germany, Amazon’s second-largest market by sales last year, about 250 workers went on strike at the Leipzig warehouse and about 500 at Amazon’s warehouse in Rheinberg, the Verdi labor union said Friday.

The union said that a 24-hour strike across five fulfillment centers in the country began at midnight on Thursday to demand a collective agreement on wages.

An Amazon spokesperson in Germany said workers are paid fairly, with a starting salary of more than 14 euros ($15.27) per hour, and enjoy additional benefits. The spokesperson said deliveries for Black Friday orders will be reliable and timely.

More than 200 workers went on strike Friday at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry, England as part of a long-running dispute over wages.

Nick Henderson, a worker at the Coventry warehouse, which acts as a logistics hub for Amazon to process products and send them to other warehouses, said he was striking to demand higher wages and better working conditions.

The striking workers chanted, demanding an increase in wages to 15 pounds ($18.69) per hour.

An Amazon UK spokesperson said the starting minimum wage was between £11.80 and £13 per hour depending on location, and would increase to £12.30 to £13 per hour from April 2024. Amazon said the strike would not cause disruption.

The Italian labor union CGIL called a Black Friday strike at the Castel San Giovanni warehouse, while the Spanish union CCOO called on Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to strike for one hour per shift on “Cyber ​​Monday,” the last day of Amazon’s 10 days. -Sale today.

Amazon parcel lockers — located in train stations, supermarket parking lots and street corners, which many customers use to receive orders — are also being targeted.

In France, the anti-globalization organization Attack encourages activists to attach stickers and tape to them, which could prevent delivery workers and customers from opening them.

Atack, who describes Black Friday as a “celebration of overproduction and consumption,” said she expects the protest to be broader than last year, when 100 Amazon lockers were targeted across France.

Amazon has it It remained popular In Europe even though competitors like Shin and Timo have seen rapid growth. Amazon’s app had 146 million active users in Europe in October, compared to 64 million for Shein and 51 million for Temu, according to data.ai.

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