Black Friday Sale – Amazon And Royal Mail Workers On Strike After Thanksgiving
One of the US’s busiest shopping days of the year is now the day after Thanksgiving, sometimes known as Black Friday. To draw customers into their locations, national chain stores typically offer a limited number of money-saving discounts on various products while also providing comparable offers online.
The idea that businesses operate at a loss, or are “in the red,” until the day after Thanksgiving when enormous sales eventually enable them to turn a profit or put them “in the black,” is thought by many to be the origin of the name “Black Friday.” This is untrue, though.
So why is it that several workers in Britain holding strikes on Black Friday?
Black Friday is already losing its appeal due to Britain’s rising cost of living. Now, strikes pose a further risk to the annual shopping extravaganza by delaying deliveries, dampening online sales, and dealing another hit to the faltering economy.
This week, over 235,000 workers—from those employed by schools, universities, and the postal service—went on strike throughout the United Kingdom. Amid rising food and energy costs, workers are calling for improved wages and working conditions.
Recession Warnings
As employees struggle with an economy that is entering a recession and a deteriorating cost-of-living crisis, strikes have rocked the United Kingdom this year. The stagnant and now 41-year high wages that have not kept up with inflation have created a hostile work environment for both companies and employees.
However, the situation can worsen once again before improving, with the disruption continuing well through Black Friday and into the holiday season. Strike activity will increase losses for businesses and can lead to additional job layoffs.
Small businesses, in particular, are experiencing “enormous damage” as a result of the postal strikes as they “rely on an efficient mail service for so much of their trade,”
Amazon Workers Strike
40 different nations’ employees of Amazon.com, Inc. have planned demonstrations and walkouts during Black Friday sales.
Workers in the U.S., U.K., India, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and all of Europe are calling for higher pay and improved working conditions, according to the “Make Amazon Pay” campaign. To be heard, employees chose to demonstrate on the busiest day of the year.
More than ten American cities, including New York, will witness protests. Additionally, coordinated strikes by labor organizations in France and Germany are planned for 18 large warehouses.
The Make Amazon Pay campaign has sponsored a worldwide day of action on Black Friday for the past three years. Black Friday deliveries are not anticipated to be impacted by protests that are scheduled to take place on Friday evening in Coventry, England, at an Amazon facility.
