Thousands of Amazon workers have gone on strike over working conditions to disrupt the tech giant’s Black Friday sales.
The strike, called by the powerful Verdi union, called on workers at seven German Amazon warehouses to go on a three-day strike to coincide with Black Friday sales that starts today.
"We estimate that around 2,500 people went on strike today, a higher number than in similar actions in the past and given the difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic, it's a big success," a Verdi spokesman told AFP.
Verdi has been organising strikes at Amazon in Germany - the company’s biggest market after the United States - since 2013, most recently last month during its “Prime Day” promotional event.
An Amazon spokesman said at the time that the company offered “excellent” salaries, with benefits and working conditions comparable with other important employers.
The US retail giant has seen sales soar globally as restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus sent consumers online, making it difficult for some shops to compete.
Verdi argues this has strengthened the case for higher wages, adding workers were not sufficiently protected against the spread of the coronavirus.
Last week, Amazon bowed to government pressure in France to postpone its local Black Friday event by a week to help local shopkeepers struggling with a nationwide lockdown.
Amazon announced Christmas bonuses would be paid to workers following a stellar year of sales amidst the global pandemic.
Full-time frontline employees in the UK were to receive £300 or 300 dollars, while part-time staff will be eligible for £150 or 150 dollars over the next month.
Meanwhile, Amazon UK customers eagerly awaiting their new Playstation 5 said they were left disappointed when instead of their consoles they were delivered bags of rice, cat food and other random items.
Buyers, many of whom had ordered their consoles months in advance, took to Twitter to share their dismay, saying their £450 console was replaced with things such as grills and cat food.
Others complained the online retailer said their packages had been delivered when they hadn’t.
