Just when you thought the supply chain couldn’t get any worse, Amazon employees in more than 20 countries are preparing to strike on Black Friday.
The “Make Amazon Pay” campaign—which is backed by a coalition of 70 trade unions and organizations including Greenpeace, Oxfam, and Amazon Workers International—has a goal of improving pay and working conditions for Amazon employees.
“Amazon’s wealth has increased so much during the pandemic that its owners could pay all 1.3 million of its employees a $690,000 COVID bonus and still be as rich as they were in 2020,” a video on the Make Amazon Pay website states.
Workers have been vocal about working conditions at Amazon, saying they work long hours for low pay, and that there is a complex performance review system.
“The pandemic has exposed how Amazon places profits ahead of workers, society, and our planet,” Make Amazon Pay wrote in a list of demands shared on its website. “Amazon takes too much and gives back too little. It is time to Make Amazon Pay.”
Make Amazon Pay’s demands include increased salaries, better job security, and “suspending the harsh productivity and surveillance regime Amazon has used to squeeze workers.”
The coalition also calls for a “payback to society” to enhance sustainability efforts, increase transparency over data and privacy, and end partnerships with police forces and immigration authorities.
In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel told Insider that the company is “inventing and investing significantly in several of the categories the campaign addresses, including climate efforts,” which includes “a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and pushes to improve competitive wages and benefits.”
The campaign also calls for a look into Amazon’s tax payments, as a report by ProPublica showed that Jeff Bezos didn’t pay any income taxes between 2006 and 2018.
