6 ms·

Amazon employees in 20 countries will strike on Black Friday

223 points by batmaniam 5y ago

webmobdev 5y ago
Excellent news - the timing is right ... The largest farmer's protest in the world, in India, just recently partially ended after a year+ long non-violent protest with the indian government backing down and conceding to their demand to repeal farm laws that favoured corporates and didn't address farmer's concerns. ( https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/fam-laws-are-being-repealed-because-they-failed-the-test-of-democracy https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/fam-laws-are-bei... ). Civil activists around the world will get a big boost and draw inspiration from this. Trade Unions in Public Sector Units that the indian government wants to sell to private entities are also planning to go on a national strike soon. I see all this as a natural correction of political imbalance that had shifted too far to the right, around the world, in the last 2 decades ... political unrest results when the extreme left or the right gain an upper hand.
- aero-glide2 5y ago
  As someone who interned at two Indian government PSUs, I can't wait for them to get privatised. You wouldn't believe the amount of inefficiency and laziness.
  - Hokusai 5y ago
    > laziness That seems quite judgemental, each time that I see someone calling others lazy is just a case of not understanding others circumstances and hardships. Walk a mile in their shoes...
    - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
      I mean interning at something seems as close to walking a mile in the shoes as one can reasonably be expected to get. Often when we condemn others or something it is because we don't understand all the factors involved, but not all the time - sometimes laziness and other bad features are primary cause of what we observe.
    - screye 5y ago
      My dad spent his entire life as a Bureaucrat. The OP is right. The laziness is endemic seeps through every aspect of Govt. work. He hates the laziness and corruption in the system so much, that explicitly banned both his children from ever working in anything having to do with the Govt. A good bunch of my friends are engineers in large govt. infrastructure projects. They corroborate my dad's claims. > Walk a mile in their shoes Replying in kind, got it 'straight from the horse's mouth' (sorry, i was feeling cheeky)
  - webmobdev 5y ago
    > the reforms were good Please read the article I linked to, to understand why the farmer's objected to these farm laws. The biggest problem was that democratic and parliamentary norms were not followed in passing those laws. Can you believe that a game changing law like this, was passed abruptly, without any review by any parliamentary committee or even a discussion in the Parliament!? That is why people became rightly suspicious of the intentions behind the laws, and highlighted loopholes in it that seemed to be designed to benefit the corporate, at the expense of farmers and consumers.
- screye 5y ago
  That is an incredibly biased reading. The farm laws were among the most progressive changes the farms had seen in the last century. It was politically hijacked despite having been previously supported by the same opposition who was currently leading the agitation. India is politically incredibly left as a nation, and IMO the right simply isn't right enough. If India can even reach a Bernie or Warren level.of capitalism, it would be a dream come true. Sadly, we are stuck in a system that glorifies blind socialism despite it having continuously kneecapped the economy decade over decade. I hope the PSUs get sold off. The farm bills pass (wishful thinking) and India finally manages to claw back some power from this kafkaesque beaurocracy.
  - ksaxena 5y ago
    What I find strange is the support that the Indian (opportunistic) left's narrative gets in US media including niche tech communities like HN. Any one who has grown up in India in the past 50 years has witnessed the devastation caused by Socialism in this country. Socialism did not make India equal - it made India's bureaucracy and politics a cesspool of corruption that did enormous damage to India's poor. Anybody on this community who wants a crisp, fair view of the situation should spend a minute reading this editorial from India's largest newspaper before commenting: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/swaminomics-farm-retreat-casts-doubt-on-other-economic-reforms/articleshow/87827463.cms https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/swa...
  - webmobdev 5y ago
    > It was politically hijacked despite having been previously supported by the same opposition who was currently leading the agitation. That's either ignorance or a plain lie. Rahul Gandhi, one of the leaders of Congress, has been a vocal opponent of the farm laws from day 1. Here's his speech in Parliament on it - https://old.reddit.com/r/india/comments/li5iey/rahul_gandhis_protest_speech_in_parliament/ https://old.reddit.com/r/india/comments/li5iey/rahul_gandhis... ... At no point has the opposition Congress ever supported the law. In fact, it was never even given an opportunity to do so! This law was suddenly introduced as an ordinance, and bludgeoned through Parliament with the sheer majority of the government, without even a discussion in Parliament. Despite requests, it was not even sent to any Parliamentary committees. Worse, the government hadn't even consulted anyone, and the law had a lot of glaringly loopholes for the obvious benefit of the corporate sector. A agree completely with you that reforms are much needed in India's agriculture sector. And PM Modi could have easily implemented many of them if he had just followed democratic process and consulted everyone. The farm laws passed by him was sloppy too - many parts of these law were bound to be overturned by the Supreme Court too, as it infringed on the rights of states in our federal setup.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- roenxi 5y ago
  Something like 40% of Indians work in farming. Compare that to, say, the US at 1%. There is probably a nicer way to say it, but the strategic priority of India should factor in the end of small-time farmers. There are a lot of people working in agriculture who need to be redeployed to something more productive. Unless the plan is to live in poverty forever.
  - foxhop 5y ago
    That's absurd, food is the most important product of the economy. Local food is the most important product of a local economy. Many small farm holders means more variety and less monoculture. I grow food myself, it's hard work and very important for our futures. Link in profile.
  - webinvest 5y ago
    And go where? To other minimum wage jobs that pay 22 rupees an hour (35 cents an hour)? Most labor is relatively worthless in India. This is because India suffers from The Tragedy of the Commons.
gondo 5y ago
The article does not mention the list of countries. Is it really 20? Are those all countries or are some US states? Is it happening in my country?
- Ansil849 5y ago
  > The article does not mention the list of countries No, but it links to the coalition website, which does. > Is it really 20? If you're skeptical of the number of countries, why would this skepticism be any different if the countries were listed in the article? The reporter could just as easily make them up. Or are you suggesting that the reporter cannot count to 20? > Are those all countries or are some US states? So now, aside from suggesting the reporter has trouble counting, you're also suggesting the reporter cannot tell countries apart from US states? What is the basis of this seemingly random question? You could just as easily say any other seeming non sequitur like 'are those all countries or are some flowers?' > Is it happening in my country? Why not check the primary source, linked to in the article?
  - aaron695 5y ago
    > be any different if the countries were listed in the article? 100% yes. This is basic common sense. Is this no longer taught in school for those without common sense? FYI: If there are any children on HN, if you want to lie/mislead people you keep facts and figures to a minimum. This stops people fact checking. 20 countries.... What 20? If they were listed you could check them. This way it's a vague fuzzy claim, how do you disprove? Cambodia is on the web site, it's factory workers where lied to by management. They sell to many companies and Amazon sells some of those products. Soooo is this in the 20? They don't work for Amazon using normal common sense. They are also mostly fired, are the ones with jobs still striking? Who knows if they are even in the 20 countries? This is what adults do to muddy the waters and waste time. The claim "Amazon employees in 20 countries will strike" is probably fiction. I wonder which Amazon oil refinery it is, I guess since the author can count we just trust it?
  - black_13 5y ago
    [dead]
thecleaner 5y ago
Do people really care about Black Friday that much ? Also why 20countries ? Isnt Black Friday mainly an American thing ?
- ivan_gammel 5y ago
  It is very popular in Europe thanks to hard work of marketing departments. Because of it holiday season with high sales starts one month earlier.
- moooo99 5y ago
  Amazon made it an international thing. Since Amazon started the heavy promotion of their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in Germany, basically every German (online) store also offers Black Friday discounts. However, they discounts aren’t typically as big as they can be in the US, at least that is what I found from my comparison
  - rasz 5y ago
    In Poland most 'black friday' discounts are of the 1 item per shop or 30% off the price we raised by 40% a week ago kind.
    - genocidicbunny 5y ago
      So, perfectly keeping with the American tradition then.
  - Semaphor 5y ago
    Amazon now almost has Black Friday month, since I think the 8th they had "Early Black Friday" deals, since yesterday it’s "Black Friday Week", and after BF it will be "Cyber Monday Week".
  - usrusr 5y ago
    Discounts aren't typically as big because manufacturer mandated retail prices are quite illegal in the EU so retailers are competitively squeezing their margins the entire year, not just for one week in November.
no_butterscotch 5y ago
This literally happens every year. Right before Black Friday or Christmas the Amazon employees (in Europe?) announce they're striking.
LukeShu 5y ago
Headline seems to be misleading; the article itself and the primary source (https://makeamazonpay.com/ https://makeamazonpay.com/) indicate that some form of protest will be going on in 20 countries; in not all of the countries is it a strike by Amazon employees. I couldn't find an explicit list of the 20 countries, but the primary source has a map of where events will be taking place. By clicking each point on the map, I think I counted them all (I counted 21): 1 Argentina 2 Australia 3 Austria 4 Bangladesh 5 Belgium 6 Brazil 7 Cambodia 8 Canada 9 England 10 France 11 Germany 12 India 13 Ireland 14 Italy 15 Netherlands 16 New Zealand 17 Poland 18 Slovakia 19 South Africa 20 Spain 21 USA
- matharmin 5y ago
  Some of those countries don't even have any Amazon distribution centres. A lot of those are protests by activists - not workers, and not related to working conditions at all. The title is not just misleading - it's completely wrong.
  - riffraff 5y ago
    oddly enough, in Italy there will be a protest, but it's none of the people listed in the article: there will be a strike from _drivers_ who deliver on behalf of Amazon[0]. Actual amazon logistics employees already have an agreement with the local unions and I assume won't protest[1]. [0] https://www.open.online/2021/11/13/amazon-sciopero-black-friday/ https://www.open.online/2021/11/13/amazon-sciopero-black-fri... [1] https://www.corriere.it/economia/lavoro/21_settembre_15/amazon-accordo-storico-relazioni-industriali-sindacati-ora-nuovo-contratto-5d9981c6-160d-11ec-a86d-66613f8ffd7b.shtml https://www.corriere.it/economia/lavoro/21_settembre_15/amaz...
  - krageon 5y ago
    > activists - not workers People can be (and probably are) both.
    - matharmin 5y ago
EarlKing 5y ago
> The coalition also calls for a "pay back to society" that includes enhanced sustainability efforts, increased transparency over data and privacy, and ending partnerships with police forces and immigration authorities that are "institutionally racist." They had me right up until the end. That tells me everything I need to know. This isn't being organized by Amazon workers (or I would've heard about it through my own contacts there), but by grifters using this to engage in political grandstanding. God I'm sick of this shit. Just once it would be nice if people pretending to back labor were actually for labor instead of being obvious imperialist shills.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- bennysomething 5y ago
  I agree, don't know what the police have to do with this. Though I'm not sure what you mean by imperialist?
  - EarlKing 5y ago
    I mean precisely what I said. Invariably in this day and age whenever you encounter someone who claims to be doing something for the people they are, in point of fact, doing it as agents of the state. Whatever lies they tell others (and themselves) they are, in no uncertain terms, seeking to perpetuate the system that privileges them above others. They can pretend they're fighting the good fight all they like, but it's a sham. It's a grand carnival used to distract people from the man behind the curtain... a veritable sleight of hand intended to convince you that their designated scapegoats, and not they themselves, are the real cause of all your woes... whether that scapegoat is white people, jews, or whatever. They're hucksters, plain and simple, and should be mocked wherever they are found.
onphonenow 5y ago
20 countries worth of employees striking is huge. If the headline is true will this be one of the largest recent strikes? Somehow Amazon has shrugged these massive strikes off in the past though
habibur 5y ago
Lets see how that goes. My bet will be on things going on as usual. And few gathering in front of the warehouses for media.
hk1337 5y ago
Wouldn’t this make more sense to do on Cyber Monday, for protesting Amazon?
GoodJokes 5y ago
Strikes are not one day events. These are demonstrations. As far as I know, Amazon has no unions.

223 points by batmaniam 5y ago

Excellent news - the timing is right ... The largest farmer's protest in the world, in India, just recently partially ended after a year+ long non-violent protest with the indian government backing down and conceding to their demand to repeal farm laws that favoured corporates and didn't address farmer's concerns. ( https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/fam-laws-are-being-repealed-because-they-failed-the-test-of-democracy https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/fam-laws-are-bei... ). Civil activists around the world will get a big boost and draw inspiration from this. Trade Unions in Public Sector Units that the indian government wants to sell to private entities are also planning to go on a national strike soon. I see all this as a natural correction of political imbalance that had shifted too far to the right, around the world, in the last 2 decades ... political unrest results when the extreme left or the right gain an upper hand.

aero-glide2 5y ago
As someone who interned at two Indian government PSUs, I can't wait for them to get privatised. You wouldn't believe the amount of inefficiency and laziness.
- Hokusai 5y ago
  > laziness That seems quite judgemental, each time that I see someone calling others lazy is just a case of not understanding others circumstances and hardships. Walk a mile in their shoes...
  - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
    I mean interning at something seems as close to walking a mile in the shoes as one can reasonably be expected to get. Often when we condemn others or something it is because we don't understand all the factors involved, but not all the time - sometimes laziness and other bad features are primary cause of what we observe.
  - screye 5y ago
    My dad spent his entire life as a Bureaucrat. The OP is right. The laziness is endemic seeps through every aspect of Govt. work. He hates the laziness and corruption in the system so much, that explicitly banned both his children from ever working in anything having to do with the Govt. A good bunch of my friends are engineers in large govt. infrastructure projects. They corroborate my dad's claims. > Walk a mile in their shoes Replying in kind, got it 'straight from the horse's mouth' (sorry, i was feeling cheeky)
- webmobdev 5y ago
  > the reforms were good Please read the article I linked to, to understand why the farmer's objected to these farm laws. The biggest problem was that democratic and parliamentary norms were not followed in passing those laws. Can you believe that a game changing law like this, was passed abruptly, without any review by any parliamentary committee or even a discussion in the Parliament!? That is why people became rightly suspicious of the intentions behind the laws, and highlighted loopholes in it that seemed to be designed to benefit the corporate, at the expense of farmers and consumers.
screye 5y ago
That is an incredibly biased reading. The farm laws were among the most progressive changes the farms had seen in the last century. It was politically hijacked despite having been previously supported by the same opposition who was currently leading the agitation. India is politically incredibly left as a nation, and IMO the right simply isn't right enough. If India can even reach a Bernie or Warren level.of capitalism, it would be a dream come true. Sadly, we are stuck in a system that glorifies blind socialism despite it having continuously kneecapped the economy decade over decade. I hope the PSUs get sold off. The farm bills pass (wishful thinking) and India finally manages to claw back some power from this kafkaesque beaurocracy.
- ksaxena 5y ago
  What I find strange is the support that the Indian (opportunistic) left's narrative gets in US media including niche tech communities like HN. Any one who has grown up in India in the past 50 years has witnessed the devastation caused by Socialism in this country. Socialism did not make India equal - it made India's bureaucracy and politics a cesspool of corruption that did enormous damage to India's poor. Anybody on this community who wants a crisp, fair view of the situation should spend a minute reading this editorial from India's largest newspaper before commenting: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/swaminomics-farm-retreat-casts-doubt-on-other-economic-reforms/articleshow/87827463.cms https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/swa...
- webmobdev 5y ago
  > It was politically hijacked despite having been previously supported by the same opposition who was currently leading the agitation. That's either ignorance or a plain lie. Rahul Gandhi, one of the leaders of Congress, has been a vocal opponent of the farm laws from day 1. Here's his speech in Parliament on it - https://old.reddit.com/r/india/comments/li5iey/rahul_gandhis_protest_speech_in_parliament/ https://old.reddit.com/r/india/comments/li5iey/rahul_gandhis... ... At no point has the opposition Congress ever supported the law. In fact, it was never even given an opportunity to do so! This law was suddenly introduced as an ordinance, and bludgeoned through Parliament with the sheer majority of the government, without even a discussion in Parliament. Despite requests, it was not even sent to any Parliamentary committees. Worse, the government hadn't even consulted anyone, and the law had a lot of glaringly loopholes for the obvious benefit of the corporate sector. A agree completely with you that reforms are much needed in India's agriculture sector. And PM Modi could have easily implemented many of them if he had just followed democratic process and consulted everyone. The farm laws passed by him was sloppy too - many parts of these law were bound to be overturned by the Supreme Court too, as it infringed on the rights of states in our federal setup.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
roenxi 5y ago
Something like 40% of Indians work in farming. Compare that to, say, the US at 1%. There is probably a nicer way to say it, but the strategic priority of India should factor in the end of small-time farmers. There are a lot of people working in agriculture who need to be redeployed to something more productive. Unless the plan is to live in poverty forever.
- foxhop 5y ago
  That's absurd, food is the most important product of the economy. Local food is the most important product of a local economy. Many small farm holders means more variety and less monoculture. I grow food myself, it's hard work and very important for our futures. Link in profile.
- webinvest 5y ago
  And go where? To other minimum wage jobs that pay 22 rupees an hour (35 cents an hour)? Most labor is relatively worthless in India. This is because India suffers from The Tragedy of the Commons.

gondo 5y ago

The article does not mention the list of countries. Is it really 20? Are those all countries or are some US states? Is it happening in my country?

Ansil849 5y ago
> The article does not mention the list of countries No, but it links to the coalition website, which does. > Is it really 20? If you're skeptical of the number of countries, why would this skepticism be any different if the countries were listed in the article? The reporter could just as easily make them up. Or are you suggesting that the reporter cannot count to 20? > Are those all countries or are some US states? So now, aside from suggesting the reporter has trouble counting, you're also suggesting the reporter cannot tell countries apart from US states? What is the basis of this seemingly random question? You could just as easily say any other seeming non sequitur like 'are those all countries or are some flowers?' > Is it happening in my country? Why not check the primary source, linked to in the article?
- aaron695 5y ago
  > be any different if the countries were listed in the article? 100% yes. This is basic common sense. Is this no longer taught in school for those without common sense? FYI: If there are any children on HN, if you want to lie/mislead people you keep facts and figures to a minimum. This stops people fact checking. 20 countries.... What 20? If they were listed you could check them. This way it's a vague fuzzy claim, how do you disprove? Cambodia is on the web site, it's factory workers where lied to by management. They sell to many companies and Amazon sells some of those products. Soooo is this in the 20? They don't work for Amazon using normal common sense. They are also mostly fired, are the ones with jobs still striking? Who knows if they are even in the 20 countries? This is what adults do to muddy the waters and waste time. The claim "Amazon employees in 20 countries will strike" is probably fiction. I wonder which Amazon oil refinery it is, I guess since the author can count we just trust it?
- black_13 5y ago
  [dead]

thecleaner 5y ago

Do people really care about Black Friday that much ? Also why 20countries ? Isnt Black Friday mainly an American thing ?

ivan_gammel 5y ago
It is very popular in Europe thanks to hard work of marketing departments. Because of it holiday season with high sales starts one month earlier.
moooo99 5y ago
Amazon made it an international thing. Since Amazon started the heavy promotion of their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in Germany, basically every German (online) store also offers Black Friday discounts. However, they discounts aren’t typically as big as they can be in the US, at least that is what I found from my comparison
- rasz 5y ago
  In Poland most 'black friday' discounts are of the 1 item per shop or 30% off the price we raised by 40% a week ago kind.
  - genocidicbunny 5y ago
    So, perfectly keeping with the American tradition then.
- Semaphor 5y ago
  Amazon now almost has Black Friday month, since I think the 8th they had "Early Black Friday" deals, since yesterday it’s "Black Friday Week", and after BF it will be "Cyber Monday Week".
- usrusr 5y ago
  Discounts aren't typically as big because manufacturer mandated retail prices are quite illegal in the EU so retailers are competitively squeezing their margins the entire year, not just for one week in November.

no_butterscotch 5y ago

This literally happens every year. Right before Black Friday or Christmas the Amazon employees (in Europe?) announce they're striking.

LukeShu 5y ago

Headline seems to be misleading; the article itself and the primary source (https://makeamazonpay.com/ https://makeamazonpay.com/) indicate that some form of protest will be going on in 20 countries; in not all of the countries is it a strike by Amazon employees. I couldn't find an explicit list of the 20 countries, but the primary source has a map of where events will be taking place. By clicking each point on the map, I think I counted them all (I counted 21): 1 Argentina 2 Australia 3 Austria 4 Bangladesh 5 Belgium 6 Brazil 7 Cambodia 8 Canada 9 England 10 France 11 Germany 12 India 13 Ireland 14 Italy 15 Netherlands 16 New Zealand 17 Poland 18 Slovakia 19 South Africa 20 Spain 21 USA

matharmin 5y ago
Some of those countries don't even have any Amazon distribution centres. A lot of those are protests by activists - not workers, and not related to working conditions at all. The title is not just misleading - it's completely wrong.
- riffraff 5y ago
  oddly enough, in Italy there will be a protest, but it's none of the people listed in the article: there will be a strike from _drivers_ who deliver on behalf of Amazon[0]. Actual amazon logistics employees already have an agreement with the local unions and I assume won't protest[1]. [0] https://www.open.online/2021/11/13/amazon-sciopero-black-friday/ https://www.open.online/2021/11/13/amazon-sciopero-black-fri... [1] https://www.corriere.it/economia/lavoro/21_settembre_15/amazon-accordo-storico-relazioni-industriali-sindacati-ora-nuovo-contratto-5d9981c6-160d-11ec-a86d-66613f8ffd7b.shtml https://www.corriere.it/economia/lavoro/21_settembre_15/amaz...
- krageon 5y ago
  > activists - not workers People can be (and probably are) both.
  - matharmin 5y ago

EarlKing 5y ago

> The coalition also calls for a "pay back to society" that includes enhanced sustainability efforts, increased transparency over data and privacy, and ending partnerships with police forces and immigration authorities that are "institutionally racist." They had me right up until the end. That tells me everything I need to know. This isn't being organized by Amazon workers (or I would've heard about it through my own contacts there), but by grifters using this to engage in political grandstanding. God I'm sick of this shit. Just once it would be nice if people pretending to back labor were actually for labor instead of being obvious imperialist shills.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
bennysomething 5y ago
I agree, don't know what the police have to do with this. Though I'm not sure what you mean by imperialist?
- EarlKing 5y ago
  I mean precisely what I said. Invariably in this day and age whenever you encounter someone who claims to be doing something for the people they are, in point of fact, doing it as agents of the state. Whatever lies they tell others (and themselves) they are, in no uncertain terms, seeking to perpetuate the system that privileges them above others. They can pretend they're fighting the good fight all they like, but it's a sham. It's a grand carnival used to distract people from the man behind the curtain... a veritable sleight of hand intended to convince you that their designated scapegoats, and not they themselves, are the real cause of all your woes... whether that scapegoat is white people, jews, or whatever. They're hucksters, plain and simple, and should be mocked wherever they are found.

onphonenow 5y ago

20 countries worth of employees striking is huge. If the headline is true will this be one of the largest recent strikes? Somehow Amazon has shrugged these massive strikes off in the past though

habibur 5y ago

Lets see how that goes. My bet will be on things going on as usual. And few gathering in front of the warehouses for media.

hk1337 5y ago

Wouldn’t this make more sense to do on Cyber Monday, for protesting Amazon?

GoodJokes 5y ago

Strikes are not one day events. These are demonstrations. As far as I know, Amazon has no unions.