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Amazon.com workers, who have long been on strike near the holidays, have found a new opportunity to attract the attention of their employer: "Prime Day ".
Nearly 1,800 Amazonian workers in Spain continued strikes Monday during Prime Day, the biggest day of the company 's year' s sale, according to labor activists. Thousands of other Amazon workers in Germany are expected to leave work on Tuesday, the second day of the 36-hour sale, for similar reasons. The unions representing warehouse workers, Comisiones Obreras and the Verdi Services union, claim that they are demanding better working conditions, remuneration and health
"The message is clear: then that online giant enriches, Stefanie Nutzenberger, spokesman for Verdi, said in a statement on the website of the German union
Prime Day, created by Amazon four years ago, experienced a rapid growth in recent years and is generating billions of dollars to the company … Monday, the sale began at 3 pm – and almost immediately crashed the website and Amazon's mobile application for about 45 minutes. "UH-OH", said a message on the application of the company. "Something went wrong on our side." Amazon said that he was trying to solve the problem.
Prime Day computer glitch – which seemed to be the more prevalent so far – and workers' strikes added to a string of bad news for the online giant, which has been heavily "There is no doubt that this will undermine sales and dissuade some customers from buying" said Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData Retail. "The outage is particularly problematic because many Amazon offers are promoted for a given period of time – something that could cause a lot of frustration for potential customers."
This week's union protests underscore a growing challenge for Amazon: It faces an increased scrutiny of its hiring and work practices at [19659002AmazonanditsbillionairefounderJeffBezoshavealonghistoryofthwartingorganizingeffortsintheUnitedStates(BezosalsoownstheWashingtonPost)wherelastweektheunionizedemployeesapprovedanewdealwiththepresshouseafter14monthsoftensenegotiations)
But in Europe, where unionization is more prevalent, unions have been on the front line alling for the worker rights in the company's warehouses, where physical demands can be grueling and temperatures can reach extremes. Until now, however, most of their efforts have centered on the holiday season. In 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 spokesman for the Seattle giant said that he was engaged "Amazon is a fair and responsible employer and, as such we are engaged in dialogue, which is an integral part of our culture, "spokeswoman Melanie Etches said in an email
. This week's strikes have also inspired massive calls on social networks for boycotts of buyers.
In the United States, advocacy groups plan several consumer gatherings outside the Amazonian market Whole Foods markets to protest the sale of Nazis, Confederates and whites. Andean nationalist merch through the Amazon market of third-party sellers. There have also been massive calls on social networks for consumers to boycott the Amazon during the First Day, which continues until Tuesday.
"People demand change, not only politicians but also companies". in a statement promoting the Whole Foods protests. "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?
It is too early to say, how workers' strikes could affect shipments across Europe. According to Etches, Amazon's spokeswoman, "Amazon's priority is to serve and abide by the delivery promises of our customers," said Etches, spokeswoman for the Amazon. . at the San Fernando warehouse of the company outside Madrid are on strike. (Amazon challenged this figure and said that "the majority" of the Spanish factory employees were at work on Monday.)
"Amazon is a massive behemoth – it will take more than a strike in Spain to snap his cage, "said Peter Horst, founder of the marketing consulting company CMO. "But at the same time, these strikes create a moment for consumers to pause and say," What's going on here? I like these low prices, but I'm also starting to have sympathy for some of these workers. "
He and others have named Walmart, Amazon's biggest competitor, as a telling tale.The company has become the largest retailer in the world, primarily offering unbeatable prices but it has also been widely criticized for treating its workers, some of whom say they have had to rely on government programs to make ends meet. [19659002] This year's Prime Day is expected to yield 3.4 billion dollars to the company, up from $ 2.4 billion a year ago, according to retail research firm Coresight Research.Despite the difficult start of the event, Amazon said that Demand continued to be high.
A number of other retailers, including Target, Macy's, Kohl and eBay, are also promoting discounts throughout the week.
First publication by the Washington Post
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