The best way to spend your Black Friday cash? Donate to striking Amazon workers
Ah Black Friday. Is there a more grotesque display of capitalism, consumerism, and me-me-me on the planet? You’d probably expect me to say something like that. This is The Independent after all. We’re supposed to be the news organisation that cares about butterflies and stuff.
It’s not just us, though. The ugly scenes this unwelcome American import has produced on occasion have sparked widespread condemnation. Lots of retailers will privately tell you they hate it, but that for them it’s a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Here’s the thing. I’d be both liar and hypocrite if I didn’t admit to having taken part in the rampant consumer-fest. Truth be told, I’ll probably take part today. I’m not perfect. I have Christmas presents to buy, and like much of the rest of the country, I find it hard to resist a bargain, even though many of the bargains that retailers are touting don’t actually hold up to close scrutiny. I also have an Amazon account, and much as I might dislike the company’s corporate practices, its customer service is second to none.
However, I admit to feeling embarrassed, when talking to a trade unionist friend of mine who’d suggested some music he thought I might like, about admitting I’d give it a stream via Amazon Music. It’s OK, he said, we’re all a bit conflicted that way.
But it got me to thinking. Is there a way to do Black Friday, and Amazon, while quieting that little voice that says “you’ve read the reports about the way they treat warehouse staff and yet you’re still doing this you utter bastard”. At least a bit? I think there is, and I’m prepared to put my money where my mouth is.
Working at a ‘fulfilment centre’ must be unbelievably tough at this time of year. The testimony from staff provided by the union made me shudder
First off I’m going to publicly pledge my support to the GMB trade union, which represents Amazon workers. The GMB is today holding a series of Black Friday protests across the UK over what it describes as “inhuman conditions” at the company’s warehouses. Workers in Italy and Spain are expected to stage 24-hour strikes on the same day. The union has highlighted a series of problems, such as ambulances being called out to the warehouses and complaints to the Health and Safety Executive about conditions. The numbers of both, it has discovered through freedom of information requests, are eye-popping.
It doesn’t want you, or I, to boycott Amazon. Far from it. Amazon provides its workers with jobs after all. So it’s in their and the union’s interests for the company to continue to succeed. What it does want is this hugely profitable business – the founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest man – to get around a table and find a way of improving conditions for employees, employees who will probably be too exhausted to look for Black Friday deals themselves. Working at a “fulfilment centre” must be unbelievably tough at this time of year. The testimony from staff provided by the union made me shudder.
It’s time for Amazon to do the right thing.
In theory, I’ll save money through Black Friday. So I’ve also kicked over £25 to the crowd fund Ruth Lane has set up with the aim of suing DPD, the delivery company that is a big part of the gig economy a lot of web retailers rely on. She claims that the company, which her late husband Don worked for, rigidly enforced working patterns, and backed this up with financial penalties. As a result, Don struggled to attend vital medical appointments and died through complications related to insulin-dependent diabetes. DPD argues that he was self-employed.
Now, I have a similar condition. But I’m fortunate in having an understanding employer. The donation, to me, feels like an appropriate way of making Black Friday more palatable.