Amazon Workers in Germany Go on Strike on Black Friday Over Pay, Working Conditions

The strike, called by the powerful Verdi union, is set to last until Saturday.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 27 November 2020 09:43 IST

Amazon Workers in Germany Go on Strike on Black Friday Over Pay, Working Conditions

Amazon employs more than 16,000 people in Germany

Highlights

Verdi has long wanted Amazon to sign on to regional wage agreements
Stoppage affected Amazon distribution facilities in Leipzig and others
Amazon said the walkouts were not affecting customer deliveries

Some 2,500 Amazon workers in Germany started a three-day strike Thursday timed to disrupt the online retailer's "Black Friday" sales bonanza.

The strike, called by the powerful Verdi union, is set to last until Saturday and marks the latest escalation in a years-long battle with Amazon for better pay and working conditions.

"We estimate that around 2,500 people went on strike today, a higher number than in similar actions in the past and given the difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic, it's a big success," a Verdi spokesman told AFP.

Black Friday 2020 Deals Go Live: Best Offers to Grab From India

To limit the risk of COVID-19 infections, the union said it was not staging any rallies during the strike.

Amazon in a statement said the walkouts were not affecting customer deliveries since "the majority of employees are working as normal".

The stoppage affected Amazon distribution facilities in Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld, Augsburg, Rheinberg, Werne, and Koblenz.

Amazon Offers Up to $3,000 Signing Bonus for New Holiday Hires

Verdi has long wanted Amazon to sign on to regional wage agreements covering retail and e-commerce, and has organised numerous walkouts in recent years.

It also wants Amazon to improve health and safety at work, accusing the retail giant of not doing enough to protect staff from the coronavirus at some of its German sites.

Amazon defended its policies, saying it offered "excellent" wages, benefits and career opportunities in a "modern, safe" work environment.

iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaners Get 30 Percent Off in Black Friday Sale

The company employs more than 16,000 people in Germany and has taken on an additional 10,000 seasonal employees to cope with a boom in online shopping triggered by the pandemic.

iPhone 12 Pro Series Is Amazing, but Why Is It So Expensive in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.