Black Friday strike at Amazon in Germany

German trade union Verdi is currently taking action at seven distribution centres of e-commerce company Amazon. It is no coincidence that the strike takes place during the Black Friday bargain festival.

Three days

Workers in the distribution centres in Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld (2 warehouses), Rheinberg, Werne, Graben bei Augsburg and Koblenz resigned from work last night at the start of the night shift. The strike will last three days. For the time being, it is unclear how many workers are taking part in the actions.

Verdi has been organising regular strikes at Amazon in Germany since 2013. They usually take place during important moments for the company, such as in the run-up to Christmas or during the promotional event Prime Day. Once again, the trade union demands better wages and working conditions. In addition, the trade union argues that the company has been able to benefit greatly from the corona crisis and therefore there is certainly room for wage increases.

Germany is Amazon’s second largest market. The company has 15 logistics centres there and employs some 16,000 people.