News Amazon drivers to protest in Tokyo on Black Friday

The demonstration in front of the main office of Amazon's Japanese arm in the capital will coincide with Black Friday discount sales offered around the world in a show of solidarity with others working for the e-commerce giant. The Japan Community Union Federation, an umbrella organization that supports unions of drivers who deliver parcels ordered through Amazon, announced the planned demonstration at a news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 22. Members of both the federation and trade unions representing delivery drivers will join the protest. "Working grueling hours has been rampant among drivers delivering Amazon packages," Takeshi Suzuki, head of the federation, said at the news conference.

Click to expand...

Delivery workers at the e-commerce giant have pushed back in recent months against the conditions imposed on them. In Japan, e-commerce has skyrocketed over the last few years, profiting off of the COVID-19 pandemic, with shipping companies delivering more than 4.68 billion parcels in 2021. Amazon Japan recorded $20.46 billion of revenue in 2020, while workers have been pushed harder without additional pay or protections. The delivery workers are listed as "self-employed," or independent contractors, in order for the world's biggest corporation to skirt even the minimal protections contained in Japan's Labor Standards Acts. This category of worker has no employment protection, no regulated working hours or daily limits, and no overtime pay, among other exploitative terms. One Amazon worker in Yokohama explained to the Mainichi Shimbun that once the pandemic started, his workload almost doubled from 2020 to 2021. The worker said the extreme hours had left him exhausted and depressed. He stated, "I am being forced to do excessive work and keep driving. If I keep on like this, I might cause an accident or collapse. These packages might kill me."

Click to expand...