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Make Amazon Pay Campaign

  • Submitted by: Katy Clark, West Scotland, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2021
  • Motion reference: S6M-02293

That the Parliament notes the global day of action that was undertaken by the Make Amazon Pay campaign on 26 November, colloquially known as Black Friday; understands that Amazon workers reportedly took strike action and staged protests in 20 countries to demand the company pay workers a living wage, respect their right to join trade unions, commit to meaningful environmental sustainability, and pay its fair share of taxes; further understands that Amazon collected record sales in Europe, but reportedly did not pay any corporation tax to the Grand Duchy; notes reports from earlier in 2021 that Amazon workers were forced to urinate in bottles and defecate in bags due to poor working conditions and time constraints, which Amazon later apologised for falsely denying; further notes that Amnesty International has reportedly condemned Amazon for repeatedly issuing legal notices to trade union organisers who were attempting to talk to Amazon workers outside Amazon facilities in the UK; understands that Unite the Union has set up a confidential whistleblowing hotline for workers at Amazon warehouses across the UK; notes reports that the Scottish Government awarded Amazon a £15 million tender to host services for a new NHS Scotland digital platform in May 2021, which, it considers, is incompatible with the Scottish Government’s stated Fair Work approach to procurement policy; believes that trade union recognition should be a statutory requirement for employers seeking Scottish Government contracts; further believes that the Scottish Government should not award contracts to companies that are thought to use tax avoidance practices, and calls on Amazon to take steps to improve working practices, recognise trade unions, commit to sustainable practices and pay its fair share of corporate taxation.


Supported by: Monica Lennon (Registered interest) , Richard Leonard (Registered interest) , Alex Rowley, Paul Sweeney (Registered interest) , Mercedes Villalba (Registered interest)