Amazon workers across the world protest on Black Friday

Amazon workers across the globe banded together in a series of coordinated Black Friday protests over workers’ rights and environmental justice, according to a Fox Business Report.

Using the hashtag #MakeAmazonPay, employees in 15 countries, including the U.S., EuropeMexico and Bangladesh, called on the e-commerce giant to raise wages, end union-busting, stop circumventing tax laws, rehire workers fired after they complained about workplace safety and pledge to reach zero emissions by the year 2030.

The strikes coincided with one of the retailer’s biggest sales events of the year, and a statement sent to Amazon by 39 organizations called out the trillion-dollar corporation’s founder Jeff Bezos for his personal wealth.

They said that while Bezos’ bank account was overflowing, Amazon warehouse workers were risking their lives.

“Like all major corporations, Amazon’s success would be impossible without the public institutions that citizens built together over generations,” the statement reads. “But instead of giving back to the societies that helped it grow, the corporation starves them of tax revenue through its world-beating efforts at tax dodging.”

Some 50 social justice organizations, including Greenpeace, OxFam and Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, backed the initiative.

In a statement, Amazon told Business Insider the demonstrations were based on a “series of misleading assertions by misinformed or self-interested groups who are using Amazon’s profile to further their individual causes.”

“Amazon has a strong track record of supporting our people, our customers, and our communities, including providing safe working conditions and leading $15 minimum wage and great benefits, leading on climate change with the Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, and paying more than $5 billion in taxes globally,” the company said.

On Thursday, the company announced in a blog post that it would give a total of $500 million in holiday bonuses to front-line workers.

Share on Socials!

Related Articles

Related Articles

Benefits & Uses of Emergency Escape Respirators

IHW sat down with the folks at ILC Dover to discuss their innovative respirators, NIOSH-approved filtration and more.  First, what is the difference between a standard ...
Read More

Fauske & Associates to Merge

The Fauske & Associates, LLC legal entity (a wholly owned subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric, LLC) will be merging into Stone & Webster, LLC, a wholly owned ...
Read More

Hurry! NHCA Student Research Award Applications Close December 1! Submit Today

Now Accepting Applications for Student Research Award: Due December 1 The Student Research Award (SRA) provides $1,000 to support graduate-student research in hearing conservation/hearing loss prevention, ...
Read More