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Amazon workers, civil action groups staging protests on Black Friday

There is a saying that goes “an army marches on its stomach” and it looks like Amazon is going to learn what that means in 2021, the hard way.

As reported by the BBC, Amazon workers will stage protests outside the company’s buildings in the UK, US and Europe today. The protests have been arranged by a coaltion of unions, equality groups and environmental groups operating under the collective banner of “Make Amazon Pay”.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon became a trillion dollar corporation, with Bezos becoming the first person in history to amass $200 billion in personal wealth. Meanwhile, Amazon warehouse workers risked their lives as essential workers, and only briefly received an increase in pay,” reads a statement from Make Amazon Pay.

The group has published a list of demands you can read in full here but briefly it is demanding:

  • An improved workplace
  • Better job security
  • Amazon must respect worker’s rights
  • Sustainable operations
  • and, for Amazon to make meaningful contributions to society

Nearly 50 organisations have shown their support for Make Amazon Pay.

While it is not as established from an online shopping point of view locally, Amazon is also being protested locally today.

The Liesbeek Action Campaign will be protesting Amazon’s plans to build a head office on the so-called River Club development as part of Make Amazon Pay Day.

“The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) are busy proceeding with a grading of the site as national heritage resource while the developers plough ahead with indifference, constructing Amazon’s behemoth buildings that will forever destroy the intangible heritage of a key heritage site,” The Liesbeek Action Campaign wrote in a press release.

While this is generally one of Amazon’s biggest shopping days, we’re curious to see how protest action around the world impacts the firm especially from a financial point of view.

“These groups represent a variety of interests, and while we are not perfect in any area, if you objectively look at what Amazon is doing in each one of these areas you’ll see that we do take our role and our impact very seriously,” Amazon said in a statement to the BBC.

“We are inventing and investing significantly in all these areas, playing a significant role in addressing climate change with the Climate Pledge commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040, continuing to offer competitive wages and great benefits, and inventing new ways to keep our employees safe and healthy in our operations network, to name just a few,” the Silicon Valley behemoth added.

 

 

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