More than 400 lawmakers and 50 organisations, including the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), have joined the „Make Amazon Pay” coalition, which demands Amazon make improvements to working conditions and provide full tax transparency.
The “Make Amazon Pay” campaign was launched on Black Friday, 27th November, and at its core is a letter addressed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos claiming that the tech giant has “dodged and dismissed … debts to workers, societies, and the planet”.
The letter has been signed by 401 parliamentarians, including 64 British MPs and many other lawmakers from around the world. Among the most important politicians to sign the letter are U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, as well as European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala.
The letter points towards the 25 “Common Demands” which include raising workers’ pay in all Amazon warehouses in line with the increasing wealth of the corporation; providing job security to all; adding hazard pay; committing to zero emissions by 2030, and guaranteeing transparency over the privacy and use of consumers’ data.
Amazon drivers
The International Transport Workers Federation has also joined the coalition. In its press release, the federation highlights the working conditions of Amazon workers, not only in its warehouses but especially in its transportation operations.
The federation claim that Amazon is presiding over an empire of labour exploitation and violations across multiple sectors, including its transport supply chains. It refers to an article published in the Guardian in September, which uncovered the „predatory business models” and the „subcontracting chains of exploitation in the logistics companies that deliver for Amazon”.
The ITF statement also cited a report by the VNB, ITF and IUF, which contains allegations of wage theft, discrimination and sexual harassment. In addition, the aforementioned report said that the e-commerce giant have not done enough to make the conditions of drivers safer during the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo credit @ ITFglobal