Black Friday blackout: Amazon workers strike on one of its busiest days of the year

Deals and Amazon go together like bread and butter, making the platform the perfect place for shoppers looking to strike a good deal on Black Friday.

Considered one of the most popular online shopping platforms around, Amazon delivers to various countries and has countless items available.

As a result, the news that Amazon workers across Europe and the United States are striking on one of the busiest days of the year, Black Friday, surprised many.

Amazon tried to reassure shoppers that there will be no disruptions.

This is the 28th day since the start of the year that Amazon workers have gone on strike in the UK, with them stating that they were allegedly being treated “like robots”.

According to The Guardian, more than 1,000 staff members at the warehouse in Coventry, UK, are expected to form part of the walkout, due to “a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.”

The dispute started late last year over what unions and workers described as little wage increase in the hourly rate. Back then, Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser (from the union representing the workers), remarked that the fact that “they are being forced to go on strike to win a decent rate of pay from one of the world’s most valuable companies, should be a badge of shame for Amazon”.

The process is expected to take place outside Amazon’s head office in London, whilst other demonstrations and strikes are expected to be announced in other countries across Europe. Unions say that Friday’s strike is the biggest day of industrial action in Amazon’s history.

Commenting on the reasons behind the strike, Amazon stated that it regularly reviews its pay to ensure it offers competitive wages and benefits. “By April 2024, our minimum starting pay will have increased to £12.30 [€14] and £13 [€15] per hour depending on location, that’s a 20 per cent increase over two years and 50 per cent since 2018.”

On the other hand, German Amazon employees called to rename Black Friday to ‘make Amazon pay day’. Affected centres in Germany include Koblenz, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Dortmund and Bad Hersfeld.

However, as expected, a spokesperson for Amazon said participation in this strike “was low and the vast majority of colleagues were working as normal, meaning customers will receive orders punctually”.