Amazon Prime Day: Now an opportunity for workers' strikes, consumer protests around the world



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Amazon's Prime Day quickly became its biggest selling day of the year. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Amazon workers, who have long been on strike near the holidays, have found a new opportunity to attract the attention of their employees. employer: "Prime Day".

Nearly 1,800 Amazon Workers in Spain went on strike on Monday during Prime Day, which quickly turned into the most important annual sales day of the year. business. Thousands of other Amazon employees in Poland and Germany are expected to leave work on Tuesday, the second day of the 36-hour sale, for similar reasons. The unions representing the warehouses, Comisiones Obreras and the Verdi services union, claim that they are demanding better working conditions, remuneration and health. "The message is clear: while the online giant enriches, it saves money Stefanie Nutzenberger, a spokeswoman for Verdi, who represents German workers, said in a statement posted on his website

This week's events highlight a growing challenge for Amazon: it is undergoing a more in-depth review of its recruitment and practices at a time when it is looking to add thousands of new employees to the company. warehouse and grow at a crazy speed.

[ Amazon and its Billionaire How Amazon's contract to sell office supplies to cities could hurt local commerce The founder, Jeffrey P. Bezos, has a long history of thwarting organizing efforts in the United States (Bezos also owns the Washington Post, where last week unionized employees approved a new contract with Mais en Eu In Europe, where unionization is more widespread, unions are in the forefront of claiming workers' rights in the company's warehouses, where physical demands can be demanding and temperatures can reach extremes. Until now, however, most of their efforts have centered on the holiday season. Last November, for example, hundreds of Amazonian workers in Italy and Germany went on strike, claiming that they were under pressure to create more and more in less time.

A spokeswoman for the Seattle giant said, "Amazon is a fair and responsible employer and as such we are engaged in dialogue, which is an integral part of our culture," said the spokeswoman. Melanie Etches in an email

. This week's strikes have also inspired widespread calls for boycotts from buyers on social media platforms like Twitter.

In the United States, advocacy groups are planning a series of consumer gatherings outside Whole Foods Market to protest the sale of Nazis. Confederate and white nationalist merchants sold through Amazon's third-party sellers market. There have also been widespread calls on social media for consumers to boycott the Amazon during the First Day, which The year begins Monday afternoon and continues until Tuesday.

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"People demand change, not only politicians but also companies," said the Action Center on Race and Economy. "The goal of #PrimeDayofAction is to educate the public about the harmful practices of the country's largest online retailer and ask," Is there anything that Amazon will not do for a dollar?

"Amazon is a giant More than a strike in Spain to make its cage vibrate," said Peter Horst, founder of marketing consulting company CMO Inc. "But at the same time, these strikes create a moment for consumers to rest and say, "What's going on here? but he is also beginning to have sympathy for some of these workers.

He and others have pointed to Walmart, Amazon's biggest competitor, as a warning: the company has become the largest retailer in the world. Offering unbeatable prices, she has also been widely criticized for the treatment of her workers, some of whom say they have had to rely on government programs to make ends meet.

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It is too early to say, said the organizers. How streaks could impact shipments across Europe. "And it's Amazon's priority to serve and meet the delivery promises of our customers," said Etches of Amazon.

Hiring of employees in Germany is expected to reach six warehouses, while trade unionists in Spain say about 96% of workers at the San Fernando warehouse of the company outside Madrid are currently on strike. (Amazon challenged this figure and said that "the majority" of employees were at work on Monday.)

It is expected that this year's Prime Day will yield $ 3.4 billion to the company. $ 2.4 billion a year ago. research company Coresight Research. Amazon created the discount event four years ago to mark the 20th anniversary of the company

A number of other retailers, including Target, Macy's, Kohl and eBay, make also promoting discounts throughout the week.

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