A demonstrator holds a placard during a protest outside the Amazon headquarters during Black Friday in London, Britain, November 24, 2023.
Amazon workers around the globe are planning to protest or strike on Black Friday and Cyber Monday – the two busiest shopping days of the year. This is the fourth annual Make America Pay protest to disrupt Amazon’s holiday operations, and it’s also expected to be the largest, with warehouse workers and delivery drivers in 20 countries taking part.
Disruptions are planned in major metropolitan hubs in countries like the US, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Japan, Brazil and many more. Strikers are calling for Amazon – which is owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos – to pay fairer wages and more taxes, end union busting, and commit to environmental sustainability.
The strike is being spearheaded by a global union for service industries encompassing 80 trade unions and worker rights groups.
In London, protesters will deliver a petition with more than 110,000 signatures to its UK headquarters, followed by a march to Downing Street. The petition calls for the government to stop tax breaks for Amazon and other big corporations. Amazon is facing similar calls from the EU, as countries increasingly pressure multinational corporations and tech giants that make profits within their borders to pay into their governments’ coffers.