Black Friday is here — and one man stands to profit most: Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.

Over the past decade, Amazon has expanded into a global empire, exploiting its workers, abusing the environment, and stealing our most intimate data. Today, Amazon has also made major profits during the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses have struggled to cope with fluctuating measures.

Amazon’s disruptive practices are a threat to workers rights and democracy in the EU.

Reigning in corporate oligarchies like Amazon who are clearly profiting from tax evasion and anticompetitive practices is crucial to democratize Europe. Amazon has been the subject of an Antitrust Case led by the European Commission due to concern over its big data practices and how the platform leverages these to marginalize other sellers in the EU. But while the EU goes after Amazon for its use of big data and its anticompetitive practices, it has done little to address tax evasion and other issues highlighted by European labour leaders.

The demands of workers unions in Europe must be heard by politicians in order to address their poor labour practices – the latest being their lack of proper health and safety measures during the pandemic, such as in France where “the company obviously ignored its obligations to the security and health of its workers.” Workers in Italy, France and Spain were forced to go to their government authorities or go on strike in order to make the retail giant respect the measures.

Amazon clearly thinks that it can act above EU law and set its own standards. Internal Amazon reports have revealed the company’s ‘obsessive monitoring of organized labor and social and environmental movements’ in Europe. It has even hired operatives to spy on their own warehouse workers and prevent strikes. The EU needs to listen to workers who have been demanding action against the Amazon empire which is known for prioritising higher profit margins at the expense of their safety and well-being.

We are calling on you to get involved!

DiEM25 invites you to join a coalition of warehouse workers, environmental activists, and citizens from around the world in a global campaign to #MakeAmazonPay. On Black Friday, we will mobilize in a Global Day of Action to demand justice from Amazon — with strikes in Amazon warehouses and solidarity actions all around the world.

• SIGN the Common Demands to make your voice heard.
• SUPPORT Amazon workers with a donation to the Strike Fund.
• BOYCOTT Amazon’s Black Friday bargains.

We will be collecting images of DiEMers in their homes and out on the streets mobilizing to #MakeAmazonPay. So send yours in to comms@diem25.org!

Do you want to be informed of DiEM25's actions? Sign up here