Amazon workers and some allies are planning a worldwide strike during one of the company’s biggest weekends, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
The strike, called “Make Amazon Pay,” is organized by UNI Global Union and Progressive International. It will begin Friday and run through Monday, typically very busy times for online commerce with the abundance of sales.
The strike seeks to hold the huge company accountable for what organizers describe as labor abuses, “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.”
According to the organizing union, thousands of demonstrators in more than 20 countries are planning to participate in the strike. The campaign will unite over 80 trade unions and advocacy groups. Protests are planned for multiple cities, including some in France. Thousands of workers in Germany will be protesting, in addition to hundreds in New Delhi.
This year marks the fifth year that workers are looking to “Make Amazon Pay,” through action, the group said.
UNI Globe Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman said Amazon’s “relentless pursuit of profit” comes at a cost of its human workers, the economy and democracy.
Owner Jeff Bezos’s “company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers’ desire for justice – for union representation – can’t be stopped,” Hoffman said in a statement.
The strike could lead to delays in holiday deliveries for customers, ABC News reported.
In a statement to the outlet, Amazon defended its treatment of workers.
“This group is being intentionally misleading and continues to promote a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said to ABC. “The fact is at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities.”
