Unions, environmentalists and campaign groups pledge to turn Black Friday into Make Amazon Pay Day with strikes and protests against the corporate giant

The Make Amazon Pay campaign has announced a major global day of action with strikes and protests in around 30 countries on November 25 on the day that shopping holiday of Black Friday takes place.

The campaign charges Amazon with “squeezing every last drop it can” from “workers, communities and the planet” in the face of the cost of living scandal, global debt crisis and climate emergency.

Make Amazon Pay, co-convened by UNI Global Union and the Progressive International, is a coalition of over 80 unions, civil society organisations,  environmentalists and tax watchdogs including UNI Global Union, the Progressive International, Greenpeace, 350.org, Tax Justice Network and Amazon Workers International.

The coalition is united behind a set of common demands that Amazon pays its workers fairly and respects their right to join unions, pays its fair share of taxes and commits to real environmental sustainability.

Strikes and protests on November 25

Amazon will face strikes and protests on November 25 with a number of countries already having already organised actions.

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the US are confirmed, and more countries are set to join the protests.

Workers from across Amazon’s supply chain will unite with environmental groups, civil society groups and political leaders. The coalition is inviting members of the public to sign up to get involved in actions and groups to contact them about hosting actions via MakeAmazonPay.com.

This is the third year that Make Amazon Pay has organised a global day of action on Black Friday.

Highlights from previous years include: thousands of workers striking at facilities throughout Germany, major workers’ protests in Bangladesh, demonstrations projecting the Make Amazon Pay logo at Amazon headquarters all over the world, projecting “pandemic profiteer” onto Jeff Bezos mansion, and Extinction Rebellion blockading distribution centres in the UK.

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