Workers of the world say: ‘Make Amazon pay!’

Thousands of Amazon workers went on strike in over 20 countries on Nov. 29 — so-called “Black Friday,” the busiest day of the year for retail warehouse workers. The strikes and demonstrations were part of the fifth annual “Make Amazon Pay” global day of action, which has highlighted the fact that Amazon spends just a small percentage of its mega profits on taxes.

“Spearheaded by UNI Global Union and Progressive International, the Make Amazon Pay days of resistance, from November 29 to December 2, aim to hold Amazon accountable for labor abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy,” the global sponsor said on its web site. (uniglobalunion.org, Nov. 25)

Strikes and protests took place in at least six warehouses in Germany and multiple cities in France, as well as New Delhi and 11 other cities in India. Garment workers in Bangladesh planned to “take it to the streets.” Italian Amazon workers were part of a general strike in that country. Actions also took place in Spain, Japan, South Africa, England, Türkiye Luxembourg, Colombia and other countries.

According to UNI, a global union of service workers: “Amazon drivers at the company’s DGT8 facility in Atlanta joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and demanded union recognition with a “March on the Boss” held on [Nov. 27.] Atlanta drivers are building on what is a massive organizing wave within Amazon, joining hundreds of drivers from Illinois, New York and California in forming a union with the Teamsters to take on the e-commerce giant.”

Make Amazon Pay “unites over 80 unions, environmental organizations, and civil society groups to demand that Amazon pay its workers fairly, respect union rights, pay its fair share of taxes, and commit to real environmental sustainability.” (Uniglobalunion.org, Nov. 25)