The Make Amazon Pay coalition of over 70 trade unions, civil society organisations, environmentalists and tax watchdogs including UNI Global Union, the Progressive International, Oxfam, Greenpeace, 350.org, Tax Justice Network and Amazon Workers International has announced a global programme of strikes and protests in at least 20 countries on Black Friday, 26 November 2021, to demand Amazon pays its workers fairly and respects their right to join unions, pays its fair share of taxes and commits to real environmental sustainability.
Make Amazon Pay was launched a year ago as 50 organisations came together to deliver a set of Common Demands on the two trillion dollar company, holding strikes and protests in 16 countries around the world on 27 November 2020. This year’s actions are set to be much larger with strikes and protests planned in multiple cities in at least 20 countries across every inhabited continent on earth.
The global day of action will bring together activists from different struggles - labour, environment, tax, data, privacy, anti-monopoly - as trade unionists, civil society activists and environmentalists hold joint actions. Members of the public can add their name to the Common Demands, donate to the campaign and find an action near them to join on Black Friday at MakeAmazonPay.com.
This year’s actions will call attention to the scale of Amazon’s role in the global economy. Further to the strikes and protests around the world, Make Amazon Pay has chosen eight locations to represent the depth of Amazon’s abuse and the scale and unity of resistance to it.
They are an oil refinery in Latin America, a supply chain factory in Asia, a container ship in Latin America, a warehouse in North America, a trucking depot in Europe, a regional office in Africa and a finance ministry in Europe.
Christy Hoffman, UNI Global Union’s General Secretary, said:
“The workers, advocates and elected officials coming together to #MakeAmazonPay have captured the world’s imagination and are changing the way the public perceives Amazon.
“On global action days like Black Friday, we are seeing how the movement pushing to change the rules of our economy and challenge corporate power is growing bolder and stronger. More and more people are asking more questions about Amazon´s brutal anti-union behaviour, antisocial tax-dodging practices and obsession with control.
“As we are seeing all over the world, workers—whether they are coders, pickers, drivers or UX designers—are marching, striking and raising their voices together to demand the dignity and respect that comes with a union. Solidarity doesn’t scare easily, and Amazon will not break workers’ alliances.”
Casper Gelderblom, Make Amazon Pay coordinator at the Progressive International, said:
“From natural resource extraction, to manufacturing; from shipping and storing products around the world to delivering them to consumers; from controlling untold amounts of data and management to influencing our governments: Amazon takes workers, people and the planet for a ride.
“Amazon may be everywhere, but we are too. At every link in this chain of abuse, we are fighting back to Make Amazon Pay. On Black Friday 26 November 2021, around the world, workers and activists will rise up in strikes, protests and actions to Make Amazon Pay.”
