(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013 Thousands of Amazon workers in the U.S. and abroad are striking from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.<\/p>\n
Workers have participated in the annual strike for five straight years as part of \u201cMake Amazon Pay\u201d movement.<\/p>\n
Spearheaded by UNI Global Union and Progressive International, the protests include street demonstrations of Amazon workers, unions, and civil society groups in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., Germany, Brazil and Japan.<\/p>\n
The participants are demanding increased wages and better working conditions, saying they aim to \u201chold Amazon accountable for labour abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmazon\u2019s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy,\u201d General Secretary of UNI Global Union Christy Hoffman said this week in a press release. \u201cBezos\u2019s company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers\u2019 desire for justice\u2013for union representation\u2013can\u2019t be stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stand united in demanding that Amazon treat its workers fairly, respect fundamental rights, and stop undermining the systems meant to protect us all,” she continued. “\u2018Make Amazon Pay Day\u2019 is becoming a global act of resistance against Amazon\u2019s abuse of power.”<\/p>\n