Spanish Amazon workers in 'Black Friday' strike

Spain's CCOO union accuses Amazon of having changed employees' working conditions
Spain's CCOO union accuses Amazon of having changed employees' working conditions

Workers at Amazon's biggest logistics centre in Spain went on strike on the day of the online retailer's "Black Friday" sales bonanza, a union and the company said.

Employees at Amazon's San Fernando de Henares facility near Madrid have been demanding better wages and for months and have already staged several strikes this year.

It was unclear exactly how many employees had stopped work.

Ana Berceruelo of the CCOO union told AFP the centre, which prepares packages for clients in Spain and other European countries, "is at a complete standstill.

"Lorries are not entering, nor are they leaving."

But in a statement, Amazon said "the majority of workers on the morning shift" were working and processing orders.

The centre, which opened in 2012, employs around 2,000 people on fixed and temporary contracts, according to Berceruelo.

The labour dispute started because Amazon changed employees' work conditions, meaning they now lose out on sick pay or breaks, she said.

In its statement, though, Amazon said employees had "a competitive salary, complete package of benefits and innovative training programmes."

The strikes are due to take place on November 23 and 24, as well as December 7, 9, 15, and 30, and January 3 and 4—all "days of high workload for Amazon", according to Berceruelo.

© 2018 AFP

Citation: Spanish Amazon workers in 'Black Friday' strike (2018, November 23) retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2018-11-spanish-amazon-workers-black-friday_1.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Spanish Amazon workers plan 'Black Friday' strike: union

46 shares

Feedback to editors