Italian trade unions have announced that an Amazon plant in the country will be brought to a partial standstill as workers take strike action. Just like many other European countries, Italy has adopted the Black Friday tradition where many goods see sharp discounts. The strike that has been called could have quite an impact on Amazon who will want all hands on deck for the busy event.
At the affected plant in Piacenza, Amazon hires around 1,600 people on a permanent basis, with 500 of those workers striking on Black Friday and refusing to do overtime until the 31st of December. The company will be trudging through the peak season but has issued a statement saying it will try to get deliveries out on time.
The striking workers are demanding that their pay rises in line with Amazon’s growth in Italy after finding themselves having to do mandatory overtime, working night shifts, and sometimes having to work for six days straight without a break to keep up with the demands of the company. Amazon retorted saying that it offers the highest pay in logistics and that it provides some benefits such as private health insurance.
Amazon is in a morally weak position to be arguing against its workers’ demands; over the last several years the company has been lambasted by several governments for shirking its responsibility to pay its fair share of taxes; rather than paying taxes in the country where it operates, it is setting up in various places where taxes are low such as Ireland and Luxembourg.
Source: The Local