"'Make Amazon Pay’: Global strikes planned on Black Friday as workers in over 30 countries unite"

The Make Amazon Pay campaign, now in its sixth year, is targeting Amazon’s labour practices, political influence, and environmental impact.

As Amazon readies for one of its biggest shopping days of the year, thousands of people around the world are preparing for a wave of coordinated strikes and protests in more than 30 countries.

Unions, tech workers, human-rights organisations, and environmentalist groups will demonstrate against the tech giant during Black Friday to Cyber Monday, as part of the Make Amazon Pay campaign.

The group accuses Amazon of fuelling inequality, undermining democratic rights by financing US President Donald Trump's inauguration, and driving environmental harm. Amazon funded Trump’s inauguration — and got what it paid for: support for union busting, deregulation and the rollback of environmental protections.

Organisers say this year’s protests come at a time when Amazon’s global influence is deepening, extending far beyond retail into logistics, cloud services, policing, border enforcement and political lobbying.

How did Amazon respond?

However, Amazon said in a statement that the group "is being intentionally misleading and continues to promote a false narrative".

"The fact is, at Amazon, we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities—all from day one. We directly employ more than 1.5 million people around the world, and provide a modern, safe, and engaging workplace, whether you work in an office or at one of our operations buildings,” the company added.

On the allegations regarding tax, Amazon said that last year its European stores business posted a loss and also clarified that corporate tax is based on profits, not revenues.

"We continued to invest heavily across the region, and have now invested more than €250 billion in Europe since 2010, including more than €180 billion in the EU. We pay corporate tax in countries across Europe, amounting to hundreds of millions of euros, and we operate in full compliance with local tax laws everywhere,” Amazon said in a statement. [...]

David Adler, a co-general coordinator of the Progressive International political organisation, said Amazon had become "a pillar of a new authoritarian order built on surveillance and exploitation".

"From ICE raids to the repression of Palestinians, Amazon’s technologies are woven into systems of violence worldwide. But Make Amazon Pay shows that workers and communities can confront this power - and build a future based on dignity and democracy instead".

On the ground, many workers say the company’s escalating productivity demands and harsh conditions have pushed them to breaking point.

In Manesar, India, warehouse worker Neha Singh described summer heatwaves turning the facility into “a furnace".

"During the heatwaves, the warehouse feels like a furnace - people faint, but the targets never stop," she said in a press release.

"Even if we fainted, we couldn’t take a day off and go home. If we took that day off, our pay would be cut, and if we took three days off, they would fire us. Amazon treats us as expendable. We are joining Make Amazon Pay to demand the most basic rights: safety, dignity, and the chance to go home alive". [...]

The Make Amazon Pay coalition is demanding that workers be paid fairly, that the company pay taxes, and pay for the environmental damage caused by the company’s growth.