ITUC backs “Make Amazon Pay” movement

The ITUC supports the growing number of labour, environmental, anti-racism, data-rights and progressive tax groups working to hold Amazon, the world’s sixth largest company, to account for its exploitative and destructive strategy to maximise its profits at huge social and environmental cost to workers, their communities and societies.
 

The Make Amazon Pay movement, which is backed by hundreds of elected officials around the world and is attracting growing support, is co-convened by UNI Global Union and the Progressive International.

At a Make Amazon Pay summit in Manchester, UK, 27-28 October trade unions, politicians and other concerned groups came together to delve into the retail and data giant’s systematic violations of internationally recognised workers’ rights, its poor environmental record, its anti-competitive behaviour and its tax minimisation schemes.

This November will see a broad range of industrial actions and protests focused on Amazon’s Black Friday, 24 November, building on the 135 strikes and protests that took place across 35 countries in 2022.

“Amazon must pay its workforce decent wages and recognise its obligations to all its workers. It must pay to make its operations safe, and to end its destructive environmental practices. It must pay its taxes, and the put a stop to the dodgy practices it deploys to avoid contributing to the public sector infrastructure that it totally relies upon.

“It should no longer be allowed to squeeze subsidies out of governments, and competition authorities must have the courage to stop Amazon’s anti-competitive practices. That’s why ITUC affiliates around the world are backing this campaign. Together, we will Make Amazon Pay,” said ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle.

Amazon’s profits tripled in the last quarter, with revenue reaching US$143.1bn. The company controls around one-third of the world’s cloud computing infrastructure.

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