‘Make Amazon Pay’ protests to target retail giant’s ‘relentless pursuit of profit’ over Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend

Amazon workers in more than 20 countries are set to hold protests between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy, “ Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, one of the labor groups organizing the protests, said in a statement on Monday about the planned strike.

Workers are expected to participate in the protests in countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, India and Bangladesh.

“These groups represent a variety of interests, and while we’re always listening and looking at ways to improve, we remain proud of the competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and engaging, safe work experience we provide our teams,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said in a statement about the protests.

'Make Amazon Pay' is not new

This year will mark the fifth in a row that workers at Amazon, most of whom are members of unions, have staged protests over what they say are poor working conditions at the company. But it’s the first time that the protest will span four consecutive days — Nov. 29 through Dec. 2.

“Bezos’s company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers’ desire for justice — for union representation — can’t be stopped,” Hoffman said Monday of the company’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos.

In 2023, Amazon workers in more than 30 countries and more than 80 labor and climate groups joined "Make Amazon Pay" protests. Other than raising awareness about working conditions in the retail giant’s warehouses, it’s unclear what impact that protest had on the company’s bottom line.

Amazon is projected to account for over 40% of online sales this holiday season, worth a staggering $112.3 billion this year alone, Investor’s Business Daily reported.

Still, any bumps in handling customer orders could prove problematic for the company, given that shoppers are expected to spend 56% of their holiday shopping budget on Black Friday.

Prime Day protests

One of the world’s largest employers, Amazon has increasingly found itself the target of worker protests. Since 2019, employees at the company have staged protests coinciding with Prime Day, the two-day sale for Prime members, over poor working conditions and low wages.

“Events like Prime Day have become an opportunity for our critics, including unions, to raise awareness for their cause, in this case, increased membership dues. These groups are conjuring misinformation to work in their favor, when in fact we already offer the things they purport to be their cause—industry leading pay of $15 per hour, benefits, and a safe workplace for our employees,” the company said in a statement in 2019.

That year’s protests failed to hurt the company, however. It reported selling over 175 million items during the two-day event, besting the previous years’ Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales figures combined.