Amazon hit by 'Black Friday' strikes in Europe

Amazon was hit by strikes at various locations in Britain, Germany and Italy during the annual "Black Friday" shopping extravaganza as workers demanded higher wages and better working conditions.

UNI Global Union said Amazon would face strikes and protests in more than 30 countries around the world, including the United States, as part of a "Make Amazon Pay" campaign.

"Workers know that it doesn't matter what country you're in or what your job title is. We are all united in the fight for higher wages, an end to unreasonable quotas and a voice on the job," said Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union.

"That's what workers in Coventry are striking for and that is why workers around the world are standing up to Make Amazon Pay," Hoffman said.

Held the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday, "Black Friday" has been increasingly adopted in Europe and beyond, with stores offering big discounts to kick off shopping for the holiday gift-giving season.

More than 1,000 workers went on strike at an Amazon hub in Coventry, England, which employs 2,300 people and supplies other warehouses, said Stuart Richards, spokesman for the GMB union.

In Germany, the industrial action called by Union Verdi began overnight Thursday, affecting five out of the US e-commerce giant's 20 logistics sites in Europe's biggest economy.

Amazon said the strikes in the UK and Germany would have no impact on customers.

Workers at the Amazon hub in Castel San Giovanni, between Piacenza and Milan, joined the strike.

Citing trade unions, Italy’s Ansa news agency reported that 60 per cent of permanent employees and 50 per cent of temporary workers at the site took part in Friday’s strike.

"The mood music is souring for Amazon over this important time as industrial action over pay and conditions by warehouse staff could threaten performance," said Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

This "will be something monitored closely by investors," she added.