Amazon Black Friday may usher in the largest strike in history

Amazon employees announced at the "Make Amazon Pay" summit that they will strike on Black Friday this year in more than 30 countries around the world, including the UK.

A spokesman for the Progressive International union said this year's strike action would likely be the most impactful yet, meaning Amazon's peak season order deliveries could be further disrupted.

It is understood that "MakeAmazonPay" has organized four global strikes since 2020. During Black Friday last year, the "MakeAmazonPay" alliance organized more than 135 strikes and protests in 35 countries.

Earlier media reports said that Amazon warehouse workers in Coventry, UK will hold a four-day strike next month, on November 7, 8, 9 and November 24.

The British GMB union said that Amazon's pay increase will not bring much change to many workers. And because the Coventry warehouse is the center of Amazon's UK logistics network, the strike will have a chain reaction on its logistics transportation in the UK. With Black Friday approaching, Amazon must urgently reconsider their priorities, otherwise the strike action may cause widespread disruption to customers and the public.

It is worth mentioning that Amazon announced this month that it will invest 170 million pounds to increase the minimum wage of Amazon's front-line operations employees from October 15, but the specific salary depends on the location.

The hourly wage for frontline operations staff in the UK has been raised to £11.80 (US$14.39) to $12.50. By April 2024, Amazon will further increase wages to £12.30-13.00 per hour, depending on the region where the workers are located.