https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.4508609.1563206488!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_1020/image.jpg — FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2018, file photo a box for an Amazon prime customer moves through the new Amazon Fulfillment Center in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Amazon workers in Germany stage strike on Black Friday

29 Nov 2019, 11:25 by The Associated Press Staff Contact

BERLIN -- Workers at Amazon distribution centres in Germany have gone on strike for better pay on Black Friday, one of the busiest days of the year for the online retailer.

Union ver.di said Friday that the walkouts began overnight at six distribution centres across the country, with some due to last until Tuesday.

Union representative Orhan Akman said Amazon staff want to send a signal that their work can't be bought with the kind of extreme discounts Amazon offers around this time of the year.

Akman also accused the company of putting "extreme pressure" on staff that's causing some to fall ill.

Amazon said in an emailed statement that "packages are arriving punctually, because the bulk of employees is dealing completely normally with customers' orders today."

It said that it offers pay "at the upper end of comparable jobs" and other benefits.