Trade unions in Spain and Germany are calling for strikes against the e-commerce giant, citing low pay and poor working conditions.<\/b>
\nAs Amazon Prime Day goes into full swing, labor unions in Europe are protesting the e-commerce giant over poor working conditions at the company’s delivery centers.
On Monday, a German trade union said it would join a strike in Spain in a one-day protest starting tomorrow. It claims that many Amazon employees working at the fulfillment centers suffer from health problems and stress.
\u00ab\u00a0The message is clear: while the online giant gets richer, it is saving money on the health of its workers,\u00a0\u00bb said Stefanie Nutzberger, an official with the Verdi trade union in a statement .
In Spain, the country’s trade unions have been calling on Amazon workers to strike over the next three days. The unions had been attempting to negotiate better pay, but claim Amazon only offered a salary increase of 1.1 percent.
Vente a apoyarnos en la #HuelgaAmazon por un convenio digno en #Amazon en el #PrimeDay?? \u00a1ojo! La unica entrada que hay es por la calle guarnicioneros #BoicotAmazon @JeffBezos @Marseglia @AmazonESP @amazon pic.twitter.com\/7MXuoHuBsd
It isn’t clear how many workers are joining the strikes, but starting in May, Amazon workers in Spain published a letter calling on all company employees across Europe to protest its labor policies on Amazon Prime Day. \u00ab\u00a0In the rest of the world, Amazon is making history, but hardly distributes its millions in profits,\u00a0\u00bb the workers in Spain wrote .
Amazon warehouse workers have also been talking to the press, and claim they’re under constant pressure to fulfill delivery orders. Reportedly, some UK-based workers have been trying to meet their orders by skipping bathroom breaks and instead urinating in bottles, according to one journalist.
In response to this week’s strikes, Amazon said it’s a fair and responsible employer. \u00ab\u00a0We don’t recognize these allegations as an accurate portrayal of activities in our buildings,\u00a0\u00bb the company said. \u00ab\u00a0We encourage anyone to come see for themselves by taking a tour at one of our fulfillment centers.\u00a0\u00bb
In addition, Amazon has invested over \u20ac15 billion in Europe, and created over 65,000 permanent jobs since 2010, the company said.
Amazon Prime Day, which lasts for 36 hours, is occurring in the US and several European countries including Spain, Germany, France, and the UK. However, the company doesn’t expect the worker strikes to affect deliveries.
\u00ab\u00a0The overwhelming majority of our employees in Europe have been working today and remained focused on delivering the best customer experience on Prime Day,\u00a0\u00bb the company said.<\/p>\n

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