Employees for the biggest on-line retailer on the earth are planning to go on strike throughout one of many busiest procuring weekends of the vacation season.

Amazon staff are getting ready to protest in 20 international locations, together with in main cities in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan and Brazil, beginning on Black Friday over “labor abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy,” in line with UNI International Union and Progressive Worldwide, a Switzerland-based international labor union.

Dubbed the “Make Amazon Pay days of resistance,” the strike is scheduled to final from Black Friday by Cyber Monday, the union introduced in a press launch. Demonstrators are calling for elevated wages and for workers to be permitted to unionize.

The strike may result in delays in vacation deliveries for purchasers, economic system specialists informed ABC Information.

Unions and allied teams around the globe are planning to take part, in line with UNI International Union.

1000’s of staff within the German cities of Graben, Dortmund Werne, Unhealthy Hersfeld, Leipzig, Koblenz and Rheinberg deliberate to protest, along with a whole bunch in New Delhi, who’re demonstrating to demand truthful therapy following the mistreatment of staff throughout a warmth wave in July, the union mentioned.

The Affiliation for the Taxation of Monetary Transactions and Citizen’s Motion will maintain protests in a number of cities throughout France, and garment staff may even take to the streets in Bangladesh, the union mentioned.

This yr marks the fifth annual Make Amazon Pay demonstration, which goals to “maintain Amazon accountable around the globe” by focusing on a busy vacation procuring weekend. In 2023, Amazon represented 18% of the worldwide Black Friday gross sales, with greater than $170 billion in complete vacation gross sales, in line with an earnings report launched earlier this yr.

“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of revenue comes at a value to staff, the atmosphere and democracy,” mentioned Christy Hoffman, normal secretary of UNI International Union. “[Jeff] Bezos’ firm has spent untold thousands and thousands to cease staff from organizing, however the strikes and protests occurring around the globe present that staff’ want for justice — for union illustration — cannot be stopped. We stand united in demanding that Amazon deal with its staff pretty, respect basic rights, and cease undermining the techniques meant to guard us all.”

Amazon defended its therapy of staff in an announcement to ABC Information on Thursday.

“This group is being deliberately deceptive and continues to advertise a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards mentioned. “The very fact is at Amazon we offer nice pay, nice advantages, and nice alternatives — all from day one. We have created greater than 1.5 million jobs around the globe, and counting, and we offer a contemporary, secure, and fascinating office whether or not you’re employed in an workplace or at one among our operations buildings.”

The corporate introduced earlier this yr a $2.2 billion funding to extend pay for success and transportation staff within the U.S. Because of this, the typical base wage for these staff is now greater than $22 per hour and the typical complete compensation greater than $29 per hour when the worth of their elected advantages is factored in, in line with the corporate.

Complete advantages for these staff that start on the primary day of employment embrace well being, imaginative and prescient and dental insurance coverage; a 401(okay) with 50% firm match; as much as 20 weeks paid go away, which incorporates 14 weeks of pregnancy-related incapacity go away and 6 weeks of parental go away; and Amazon’s Profession Alternative program, which prepays faculty tuition, in line with Amazon.

An earlier assertion to ABC Information from Amazon acknowledged: “Whereas we’re at all times listening and taking a look at methods to enhance, we stay happy with the aggressive pay, complete advantages and fascinating, secure work experiences we offer our groups.”

Amazon staff have been outspoken lately about staff’ rights, particularly because the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic elevated the variety of on-line orders. E-commerce gross sales within the U.S. elevated by $244.2 billion — or 43% — in 2020, the primary yr of the pandemic, rising from $571.2 billion in 2019 to $815.4 billion in 2020, in line with the Census Bureau’s Annual Retail Commerce Survey.

In 2022, a worker-led impartial group led the first-ever U.S. union on the firm, unionizing a 6,000-employee Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York.

Whereas subsequent makes an attempt at amenities in Alabama and New York have failed, efforts have continued.

In June 2023, practically 2,000 Amazon staff organized a walkout after a mandate to return to the workplace was issued. In Kentucky, Amazon staff who spoke to ABC Information alleged that the corporate was main a union-busting marketing campaign to discourage staff from organizing.

Amazon informed ABC Information final yr that the disciplinary motion taken by the corporate at an Amazon facility in Kentucky got here in response to infractions of firm coverage.

“Amazon squeezes every little thing that it will possibly get, however it modifications its conduct relying on its jurisdiction,” James Schneider, communications director for Progressive Worldwide, informed ABC Information this week. “To illustrate, in Sweden, it engages a lot better at the way it operates with commerce unions. However within the U.S., it engages in union busting.”

A 2022 report by the United Nations’ Worldwide Labour Group discovered that post-pandemic inflation and the rising price of dwelling have been reducing the worth of minimal wage globally.

The rise of inflation has paved the best way for collective motion, specialists say. (Starbucks was additionally a part of the 2022 union resurgence.)

“Amazon is in all places, however so are we. By uniting our actions throughout borders, we can’t solely power Amazon to vary its methods however lay the foundations of a world that prioritizes human dignity, not Jeff Bezos’ financial institution stability,” mentioned Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Progressive Worldwide’s co-general coordinator.

ABC Information’ Max Zahn contributed to this report.