Amazon workers to strike on Black Friday

Amazon workers in Germany and Italy are staging a strike on Black Friday, including six of the online giant’s key German warehouses, posing a huge threat to customers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

According to Reuters, Amazon’s main Italian distribution hub will see workers plan their first strike. Unions said in a statement more than 500 Amazon workers at the Piacenza site in northern Italy had agreed to strike following a failure to negotiate bonuses with the company. Workers have also decided not to do any overtime until Dec. 31, covering the peak season for the online retailer which hires temporary workers during this period.

Amazon employs around 1,600 people on a permanent basis at the Piacenza site, the first it built in the country after launching its Italian website in 2010, noted Reuters. Approximately 30 percent of its works will go on strike.

Amazon in a statement said: “We are focused on respecting our delivery schedule for Black Friday and the following days. We have always been committed to building a continuous dialogue, and cooperation with, our employees.”

The Verdi trade union in Germany said Amazon employees would also strike on Friday at six distribution centers in the country as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

Photo credit: Amazon website