Amazon warehouse workers stage Black Friday strikes and protests worldwide | Amazon

Amazon warehouse workers in the UK and 40 other countries are set to strike and stage protests, timed to coincide with Black Friday Sales, one of the company’s biggest shopping days of the year.

Employees in dozens of countries, from Japan and Australia to India and the United States, and across the world Europedemanding better pay and terms in a campaign called “Make Amazon Pay”.

In the UK, hundreds of GMB union members are organizing strikes or protests in a number of cities Amazon Warehouses, including a protest outside a fulfillment center in Coventry.

“We’re here today to tell Amazon [that] “If you want to keep your empire going, talk to GMB to improve workers’ wages and conditions,” said Amanda Gering, a senior organizer at GMB. “Amazon workers are overworked, underpaid and have had enough.”

Earnings in Amazon Services UK, the group’s warehouse and logistics operations, which is believed to employ more than half of the company’s UK workforce of approximately 75,000 people, It rose by 60% to £204mwith revenue growing by just over a quarter to more than six billion pounds last year.

Workers are calling for a rise in wages from £10.50 to £15 an hour as the cost of living crisis hits family budgets.

However, getting in on the action in the UK could mean protesters miss out on the second part of the £500 bonus Amazon has agreed to for tens of thousands of frontline workers.

Last month, Amazon UK said awarding the second part of the payment was dependent on employees not having an “unauthorized absence” between November 22 and Christmas Eve.

GMB argued that tying payments to employees’ attendance could be considered an illegal move to breach the strike.

In Dublin, Extinction Rebellion held a protest outside Amazon offices starting at 1pm.

An Amazon spokesperson said, “These groups represent a wide variety of interests, and while we’re not perfect in any area, if you look objectively at what Amazon is doing on these important matters, you’ll see that we take our part and our impact very seriously.”

“We are innovating and investing significantly in all of these areas, playing a significant role in tackling climate change while adhering to the climate pledge to be net zero carbon by 2040, continuing to offer competitive wages and great benefits, and innovating new ways to keep our people safe and healthy in our network of operations.” , For example, but not limited “.

In London, security guards and CCTV operators are in Harrods It also holds a Black Friday strike, including a protest outside the Knightsbridge luxury department store, for the first 12 days of work over the festive period.

More than 50 employees are taking part in the protests, which are scheduled for every weekend in December and include Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, over an offer of a 7% payout that they see as a “cut” with The inflation rate has reached more than 11%..

Last month, Harrods, owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, reported that Annual profit of £51 millionhas more than doubled its managing director’s salary to £2.3m and revealed it has raised nearly £6m in government support under the Covid furlough scheme.

said Sharon Graham, General Secretary Autism union.

Meanwhile, British Hospitality said a series of planned railway strikes in the run-up to Christmas would cost UK restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars £1.5 billion, and called on the government to bring all partners to the negotiating table to try to find a solution.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the National Union of Railroad and Maritime Transport Workers, said strikes would take place yet First meeting with Transport Secretary Mark Harper To try to resolve the dispute on Thursday.

Kate Nichols, chief executive of UKH Hospitality, said the disruption and financial cost of the strikes would see Christmas lost again on a scale of impact. Omicron variant for Covid last year.

“This disruption will devastate the hospitality business during the busiest time of the year and will once again force the public to cancel and rearrange plans,” she said. “The impact of the rail strikes this year has been devastating and widespread, but this will pale in comparison to what we will see as a result of the strikes coming in December.”