As Amazon Prime Day goes into full swing, labor unions in Europe are protesting the e-commerce giant over poor working conditions at the company's delivery centers.
On Monday, a German trade union said it would join a strike in Spain in a one-day protest starting tomorrow. It claims that many Amazon employees working at the fulfillment centers suffer from health problems and stress.
"The message is clear: while the online giant gets richer, it is saving money on the health of its workers," said Stefanie Nutzberger, an official with the Verdi trade union in a statement.
In Spain, the country's trade unions have been calling on Amazon workers to strike over the next three days. The unions had been attempting to negotiate better pay, but claim Amazon only offered a salary increase of 1.1 percent.
Vente a apoyarnos en la #HuelgaAmazon por un convenio digno en #Amazon en el #PrimeDay
?? ¡ojo! La unica entrada que hay es por la calle guarnicioneros#BoicotAmazon@JeffBezos @Marseglia @AmazonESP @amazon pic.twitter.com/7MXuoHuBsd — AmazonEnLucha #HuelgaAmazon (@AmazonEnLucha) July 16, 2018
It isn't clear how many workers are joining the strikes, but starting in May, Amazon workers in Spain published a letter calling on all company employees across Europe to protest its labor policies on Amazon Prime Day. "In the rest of the world, Amazon is making history, but hardly distributes its millions in profits," the workers in Spain wrote.
Amazon warehouse workers have also been talking to the press, and claim they're under constant pressure to fulfill delivery orders. Reportedly, some UK-based workers have been trying to meet their orders by skipping bathroom breaks and instead urinating in bottles, according to one journalist.
In response to this week's strikes, Amazon said it's a fair and responsible employer. "We don't recognize these allegations as an accurate portrayal of activities in our buildings," the company said. "We encourage anyone to come see for themselves by taking a tour at one of our fulfillment centers."
In addition, Amazon has invested over €15 billion in Europe, and created over 65,000 permanent jobs since 2010, the company said.
Amazon Prime Day, which lasts for 36 hours, is occurring in the US and several European countries including Spain, Germany, France, and the UK. However, the company doesn't expect the worker strikes to affect deliveries.
"The overwhelming majority of our employees in Europe have been working today and remained focused on delivering the best customer experience on Prime Day," the company said.