Backlash on Black Friday

On 26th November, Black Friday, while many were out shopping for great deals and discounts, others were out protesting against Amazon in front of the company’s offices in New York but also in several countries around the world such as the UK, Germany or the Netherlands.

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer has a flawed way of achieving success. They have made sensational news headlines on tax avoidance, and unfair labor standards and benefits. After much deliberation, the United States government decided to make Amazon pay their dues owed since 2016. The global protest of last Friday was staged for a variety of reasons but the issues raised were mainly social and environmental.

Amazon’s business model of easy purchases and quick delivery makes the process seem simple but in reality, it leaves behind enormous amounts of pollution. The carbon footprint of Amazon has kept on increasing, and in 2020 has even risen by 19% while global greenhouse gas emissions dropped during the pandemic.

Though the CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, donated 10 billion dollars to non-profit organizations for climate change, this act has been criticized by several environmental activists saying that money won’t stop global warming. According to them, Amazon is not addressing the core issue and should instead focus on reducing its carbon emissions and stop advertising overconsumption.

Many of the protestors on Black Friday were Amazon warehouse workers protesting about their labor rights, regarding fair wages, benefits and treatment. The company’s policy was criticized for several reasons such as the strict monitoring of workers and the culture of fear that it created in its warehouses. Employees are afraid to be fired if they work too slowly and the working systems are buggy and stressful. Workers have 12 hours shifts and are also watch constantly on camera since everything inside the warehouse is recorded and the company has even been accused of hiring spies to check on their employees.

According to the New York Times, their policy focuses on satisfaction and the best customer service but doesn’t give any consideration to the healthcare or the wellbeing of employees. GBM Union, a trade union from the UK that took part in the protests reported that the most ambulance visits to Amazon warehouses happened in November. Reasons include worker burnouts due to the pressure to hit the sales target for Black Friday.

The significance of Black Friday to set as a date for the protest is due to the fact that it is one of Amazon’s busiest times of the year. The protestors, environmental groups, employees and unions chose that crucial date to demand Amazon to change its policy regarding workers and the environment.

Source: BBC News

“We are not robots” or “Black Friday exploits people and the planet” were signs put on banners. “Amazon takes too much and gives back too little”, says Make Amazon Pay, an international coalition of unions and campaigners worldwide on BBC News. Among this coalition are famous non-profit organizations such as Greenpeace. Extinction Rebellion, a global environmental group was also part of the protests in the UK by blocking the entrances to 13 Amazon distribution centers. Extinction Rebellion is not linked to the Make Amazon Pay coalition but shares the same battles.

It is not the first-time that environmental protests are staged against Amazon but the company defends itself by claiming to have a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2040 and that they helped created hundreds of thousands of jobs across the world amid the pandemic.

These protests seem to have little impact on the employees and they do not really seem to be the priority for the company.  The CEO has his ambitions for space exploration with his side project called “Blue Origin”. “I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this”, says the CEO. For now, it is anyone’s guess if we should collectively come together and fix our planet or commercialize on interplanetary travel.

Myriam F.

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Comments

  1. Belén P3 December 2021 at 05:20

    Hi Myriam,

    Your article is really interesting, I had already heard about the horrible work conditions of Amazon's workers. However, this recent demonstration that you speak about makes me ask myself wether I should stop buying in Amazon to support this cause or not (because it would probably be useless). What is your opinion on the role of customers regarding Amazon? Do you think that by taking action and supporting the workers revendications we could do something to improve their conditions?

    Thank you for your answer :)

    Belén P.

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    Replies
    1. ngtbusinessblog3 December 2021 at 08:59

      Hi,

      Thank you for your comment! You asked a very good question.

      Amazon’s priority is really their customers’ satisfaction, so if Amazon doesn’t listen to their employee complaints, then they might listen to their customers. I am optimistic that if Amazon lose a considerable number of customers because of this they will probably take actions. But I doubt that a lot of people in the general public will stop buying on a website that is super convenient just for the sake of the employee…
      I think it is your personal decision whether or not you want to boycott them. You have the ability to give your vote with your wallet and you can choose not to not give it if you decide that you do not want to support such practices, even though knowing it won’t affect them like you said.
      Lastly, only governments have the power to compel companies into doing something. Customers, even if they are important do not have this capacity. For example, Amazon started to make changes for the environment but I do not think it is only to satisfy consumers but instead to meet some governments regulations.

      I hope that answers you question! 😊

      Kind Regards,
      Myriam F.

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