Make Amazon Pay campaign to hold international summit in Manchester

On 27 and 28 October 2023, Manchester, United Kingdom, will host the first-ever Summit to Make Amazon Pay. Co-convened by UNI Global Union and the Progressive International, the high-level gathering will bring together workers, their unions, civil society, regulators and parliamentarians from at least 20 countries around the world. The Summit will be held in Manchester’s iconic Mechanics’ Institute, where the Trades Union Congress was formed in 1868.

The Make Amazon Pay campaign unites over 80 organisations — from major international trade union federations, environmental groups to tax watchdogs and social movements — in a common front to Make Amazon Pay its workers, its taxes and for its environmental damage. For each of the last three years, the campaign has organised global days of action on Black Friday, featuring transnational strikes and protests in over 35 countries that have reached millions of people through social and traditional media. 

Participants will share:

• Strategies to address Amazon’s exploitation of workers, communities and the environment, building on recent progressive advances like Warehouse Worker Protection legislation in the United States, Barcelona’s Amazon tax and Spain’s Riders Law, as well as impacts of the major antitrust case recently filed by the US Federal Trade Commission and legislation like the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
• Ideas for turning popular power into progressive legislative and regulatory change to Make Amazon Pay.

Confirmed participants include: Confirmed participants include Yolanda Díaz, Spanish Minister of Labour, Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator (via video), Andrea Orlando, former Italian Minister of Labour, Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, (UK) Sharon Graham, General Secretary Unite the Union (UK), Christy Hoffman, General Secretary UNI Global Union, Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller (via live video), Jessica Ramos, New York State Senator, Zarah Sultana, Member of UK Parliament, Nazma Akter, President of Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, (Bangladesh) Stuart Appelbaum, President RWDSU, (USA), Lynn Boylan, Member of the Seanad Éireann (Ireland), David Belliard, Deputy mayor of Paris. Kim Van Sparrentak, Member of the European Parliament (the Netherlands) Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International, Vandana Shiva (via video), Environmental scholar and activist, (India).

Christy Hoffman, General Secretary UNI Global Union, said:

“It’s important that this community of unions, political leaders and NGOs come together to strategize about using our collective power to end Amazon’s brutality towards workers and its impact on our communities. Its business model destroys the environment and crushes small business, leaving behind a monopoly without ethics or accountability. This is the critical fight for our time and together we can use our strengths to Make Amazon Pay,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, co-convenor of Summit to Make Amazon Pay.

Zarah Sultana MP, member of the Council of the Progressive International, said:

“For three years, politicians have seen this inspiring global movement come together to Make Amazon Pay its workers, its tax and for its damage to our environment. Workers and citizens around the world have stepped up with coordinated strikes and protests.

“Now it’s time for the legislators and regulators to stand with them by advancing new laws and regulations that Make Amazon Pay. Together, we can build popular power and turn it into real change: better pay and conditions, fairer taxes and radically improved environmental actions.”  

Stuart Appelbaum, President of RWDSU and Chair of the Amazon Global Union Alliance, said:

“The first-ever Summit to Make Amazon Pay is a testament to the remarkable synergy among workers, environmentalists, and civil society worldwide. Their shared commitment to accountability is creating a vibrant global movement in Manchester. Together, they’re igniting change, compelling Amazon to take responsibility for its treatment of workers, tax practices, and environmental impact. This collective determination showcases the power of unity and underscores the demand for Amazon to fulfill its obligations.“

Yolanda Díaz, Spanish Minister of Labour, confirmed her participation via X: “On October 27/28, I will participate in the Make Amazon Pay Summit with unions, parliamentarians and civil society organizations from around the world to seek fair solutions for Amazon workers and the planet. Thanks to @uniglobalunion and @progintl for inviting me.”