Staff Are Walking Out To 'Make Amazon Pay' On Black Friday & Here's Why They're Mad
"They have had enough."
An amazon employee at an Amazon facility. Right: Amazon workers protesting.
Amazon employees from dozens of countries are walking out right in time for Black Friday, one of the retailer's busiest days of the year, and they have a list of demands they want to see met.
The walkout, which is taking place on November 25, will impact dozens of countries worldwide, so your Amazon shopping spree might be directly affected by it.
Here's what you need to know about the protests and how they could affect you.
Why are Amazon employees walking out?
The walkout is a result of a bigger movement known as "Make Amazon Pay," organized by 80 trade unions, environmental activist groups and other such organizations, reported Yahoo Finance.
On Twitter, the group is promoting itself under #MakeAmazonPay.
The movement demands that Amazon "pays its workers fairly and respects their right to join unions, pays its fair share of taxes and commits to real environmental sustainability."
Amazon staffers are also asking for better working conditions and workers' rights.
The group has accused the company of "squeezing every last drop it can from workers, communities and the planet" and is demanding that the company make necessary changes.
According to Daniel Kopp —a pay coordinator for Amazon who provided a statement on the matter— "as workers around the world struggle with the cost of living scandal, Amazon, despite its enormous profits, is forcing real terms pay cuts on its workers."
"It shirks its taxes, and its CO2 emissions are soaring. In the face of the cost-of-living scandal, global debt crisis and climate emergency, we are coming together to make Amazon pay."
Members of the GMB union in the U.K. are staging protests across multiple Amazon facilities and warehouses, reported The Guardian.
A senior organizer at GMB, Amanda Gearing, said "we are here today to tell Amazon [that] if you want to keep your empire going, talk to GMB to improve the pay and conditions of workers. Amazon workers are overworked, underpaid, and they have had enough."
When is the walkout going to take place?
The plans for the walkout were announced on Thursday and went into effect on Friday, November 25.
That means the walkout hit on Black Friday, when Amazon like most retail companies, sees an influx of business due to the amazing deals.
Some of the protestors were planning to rally in front of Jeff Bezos' residence in New York City reported CBS News.
How many Amazon employees will be participating in the protests?
Amazon employees from over 40 countries were expected to join the walkout, reported The Guardian.
Per CBS News, the UNI Global Union announced that employees of Amazon from the following countries will be striking and protesting the e-commerce company: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey and the U.K.
People who work in other companies owned by Amazon also plan to participate in the protests, including the popular grocery chain Whole Foods.
Will the Amazon walkout affect shopping?
If you are in one of the 40 countries where the walkouts are being organized and, more particularly, near one of the participating facilities, then chances are it will likely affect your shopping.
It doesn't mean you can't still scoop up the Black Friday deals on Amazon, it just likely means you might not get the same-day delivery that you are used to.
