Neon signs in stores and pop-up ads online have been alerting customers for weeks: Friday (28 November) is Black Friday. But while retailers lure shoppers with discounts, workers' unions are calling for strikes to protest against conditions at e-commerce giant Amazon.
Black Friday was established in the US in the 1950s but became popular in the 1980s. It marks the Friday right after the US holiday of Thanksgiving. It took decades for the shopping phenomenon to reach Europe, but with the rise of online retailers like Amazon, the day grew in hype. It is now one of the most important shopping days of the year.
E-commerce giants like Amazon are among the biggest beneficiaries of Black Friday spending.
Often invisible in the annual hunt for bargains, the workers behind the prices are forgotten.
The shopping rush creates particularly harsh conditions for Amazon workers, union representatives say, leading to increased workloads, intensified work pace, and constant surveillance, resulting in both physical and mental strain on employees.
In response, several workers' unions across the globe are organizing strikes from Black Friday (28 November) to Cyber Monday (1 December). They are calling on workers to walk off the job over the weekend to protest the intense workload they face in the busiest weeks of the year.
Under the banner "Make Amazon Pay," more than 80 organisations in over 30 countries are planning actions aroundkey concerns.
They include exploitative labour conditions, growing market dominance, contracts with the Israeli military, the rapid expansion of energy-intensive data centres, and close ties to the Trump administration. Actions are expected in India, Germany, the US, Colombia, and South Africa.
In 2024, the European Parliament banned Amazon lobbyists after the company refused to attend hearings on working conditions in its warehouses.
Despite this, Amazon has dramatically increased its EU lobbying efforts, spending €7m in 2024 — the second-highest corporate budget — and holding nearly three meetings per week with policymakers.
During the strike, the coalition demands that Amazon give workers fair wages and ensure safe, union‑protected conditions.
The coalition also calls for Amazon to pay its fair share of taxes to fund public services and take responsibility for the environmental and social damage linked to its data‑centre‑heavy, highly-automated business model.
This marks the sixth year of Make Amazon Pay strikes during Black Friday weekend.
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Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.
Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.