Amazon employees at all German locations have started the bargain day Black Friday with a strike lasting several days. Since the night of Friday is going on strike, said the service union Ver.di with. Affected are the locations Leipzig in Saxony, Bad Hersfeld in Hesse, Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, Rheinberg and Werne in North Rhine-Westphalia and Graben in Bavaria.
Ver.di said: "Amazon is promoting Black Friday and Cyber Monday with extreme discounts, but Amazon employees say their hard work is not to be had at rock-bottom prices." The workers demanded a collective agreement for "living wages and good and healthy work". The match will last until Cyber Monday, another discount action day next Monday. Koblenz, Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld are on strike until early Tuesday morning.
Amazon rejects allegations
Ver.di has been fighting for years for the Amazon employees to get a collective agreement and be paid according to the tariff for retail and mail order.
The online giant Amazon always rejects the allegations made against him and describes himself as a "fair employer". "We pay at the high end of what is usual for comparable activities and review our wages annually," the company said. In addition, there are numerous additional benefits.
Ver.di, on the other hand, demanded that the group abandon its blockade policy. Fundamental rights would be denied to employees, said Orhan Akman, Ver.di Federal Group Leader Retail. "Everyday life at Amazon is a rush of work and extreme pressure, which causes many employees to get sick."