German, Italian Amazon workers strike on busy Black Friday
Amazon workers in Germany and Italy have gone on strike on Black Friday, one of the retailer's busiest days of the year, as their unions hold out for better bonuses and higher pay. Also, the 500 workers in Italy have said they will not do any overtime until 31 December, which may cause delays for customers. "We want a bonus because the company is having great results, and the profits need to be distributed," said trade unionist Gianluca Zilocchi. Workers at six German distribution centres are also striking on Black Friday, 24 November.

Amazon won't be enjoying Black Friday -- and the rest of the holiday season -- this year.

Over 500 workers at the e-commerce giant's main distribution hub in Italy have agreed to strike for the first time this Black Friday after disappointing talks with Amazon for bonuses and better pay, Reuters reported Wednesday. The plan follows strikes scheduled for the same day at six Amazon warehouses in Germany.

The strike is set to last the entire holiday season until Dec. 31 and expected to disrupt Amazon's busiest shopping season -- the company told the Financial Times it received more than a million orders last Black Friday. But it added that it remained committed to ensuring its customers receive their orders punctually during this period.

The number of orders Amazon receives on Black Friday may seem little compared to Alibaba's 1.48 billion shoppers this Singles' Day, but the online retailer still has to more than double its staff strength to cope with higher demand. Amazon employs 1,600 permanent staff at its Piacenza site in Northern Italy, but brings up its staff strength to 4,000 every year during the shopping season. The hub opened when Amazon launched its platform in Italy in 2010. Workers are paid a monthly average of 1,300 euros (about $1,541), according to FT.

In a statement, Amazon said its workers are among the highest paid in the logistics sector and enjoy benefits such as private medical insurance and training subsidies. But trade unions disagree.

"The world's biggest online retailer wants to achieve record sales on [Black Friday], but employees have to produce record performance not only on this day so that everything runs how Amazon wants it," Stefanie Nutzenberger, board member of a German trade union, told Reuters.

"We want a bonus because the company is having great results, and the profits need to be distributed," Gianluca Zilocchi, secretary of an Italian trade union told FT. "There's also a question of rights and a suffocating climate for workers."

CNET has reached out to Amazon for a comment.

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