Amazon Workers in Europe Strike, Protesting Company Work Policy During Black Friday

Amazon workers strike in several locations in Europe (photo: x @OccupyDemocrats)

JAKARTA - Amazon workers went on strike in several locations in Europe on Friday 24 November as a form of protest against the work practices of this e-commerce giant from the United States. The strike comes on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The "Make Amazon Pay" campaign, coordinated by UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving in the US, where many retailers offer deep discounts to boost sales - to Monday, November 27.

Originally known for lines at major stores in the US, Black Friday has increasingly moved online and gone global, driven in part by Amazon this year advertising holiday sales from November 17 to November 27.

In Germany, Amazon's second-largest market by sales last year, the Verdi trade union estimates about 2,000 workers went on strike at six Amazon fulfillment centers in Germany.

Verdi said 500 workers went on strike at the warehouse in Rheinberg, accounting for nearly 40% of the total workforce, and about 250 workers did so at the warehouse in Leipzig, accounting for about 20% there.

An Amazon spokesman in Germany said only a small number of workers were on strike, and that workers were paid fair wages, with starting wages of just over 14 euros (Rp. 238 thousand) per hour. The spokesperson said delivery of Black Friday orders remained reliable and on time.

In Britain, more than 200 workers went on strike Friday at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

Nick Henderson, a worker at the warehouse that serves as a logistics center for processing Amazon products destined for other warehouses, said he was striking for higher wages and better working conditions.

The striking workers called for a wage increase of up to 15 pounds (Rp. 293 thousand) per hour.

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

In Italy, the CGIL trade union said more than 60% of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Castel San Giovanni were on strike, while Amazon said more than 86% of its workers showed up to work and there was no impact on operations.

The CCOO union in Spain is calling on Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to strike for one hour on each shift on "Cyber Monday" next week.

In France, Amazon parcel lockers – located in train stations, supermarket parking lots and street corners, and used by many customers to receive orders – were lined with posters and barrier tape, according to the anti-globalization organization Attac, which planned the protest.

Attac, which called Black Friday a "celebration of overproduction and overconsumption," said 40 lockers were targeted across the country. Amazon said all their lockers in France remained accessible.

Although competitors such as Shein and Temu are experiencing rapid growth, Amazon remains popular in Europe. Amazon's app had 146 million active users in Europe in October, compared with 64 million for Shein and 51 million for Temu, according to data.ai.