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This Black Friday, warehouse and Amazon Flex workers will be put under even more intense pressure to work at a dangerous pace to get the surplus of orders picked and packed while Amazon’s profits and sales will soar. The SDA is joining together with dozens of unions in a global action on ‘Make Amazon Pay Day’ this Black Friday, 28 November 2025.
Because working at Amazon shouldn’t cost you fair wages, your safety at work and your right to join a union.
Amazon workers are among the most monitored employees in the world. Every movement, every second is tracked. Miss an unrealistic target? Risk losing your job.
Amazon is using tools of the trade within the warehouses, such as barcode scanners and computers for picking items, to monitoring individual workers and to track how fast workers are completing tasks. This constant surveillance has created unrealistic and unsafe expectations and keeps Amazon workers under pressure.
Some workers have even reported skipping drinking water and taking bathroom breaks to avoid being punished by management. You can read more about that here.
This is only the start of Amazon’s surveillance regime. Amazon is developing surveillance technology includes emotion-detection tools and wearable trackers that buzz if you move ‘wrong’, which you can read more about here. Surveillance of workers will only intensify if these technologies are introduced into the warehouse.
‘Dangerous heat’ is a real issue at Amazon. During a record-breaking heatwave in India, Amazon made workers promise to not drink water or use the toilet and 68% of these workers reported feeling sick, dizzy or faint due to the heat. Amazon faced court in India for these gross health and safety violations.
Unrealistic productivity targets force workers to ignore safety measures, with Amazon warehouses in the USA experiencing double the injury rate compared to the industry average.
In warehouses around the world, it is known that Amazon has refused, delayed or prevented injured workers from seeking medical attention.
Amazon is not only a bad employer, but it a bad corporate actor as well.
Amazon is known for avoiding taxes. Despite making billions of dollars of profit in Australia, Amazon has paid a tax rate of less than 2%. Despite all of this, governments around the global continue to award lucrative contracts with public money to subsidiary, Amazon Web Services.
Amazon is valued at over two trillion US dollars, making it one of the world’s most valuable companies, yet it is costing you as the worker.
Amazon has also spent tens of millions of dollars globally to consultants and to ensure that workers don’t organise with their unions to demand better pay and conditions.
Anti-union in Quebec
Amazon will stop at nothing to thwart workers efforts to collectivise. In Quebec, Canada, after workers at a warehouse successfully organised with their union and were ready to meet at the bargaining table, Amazon shut down all operations in the province. Their union is now fighting in a labour court to overturn the closure and seek penalties against Amazon.
You are not alone. Across the world, workers are standing up to Amazon’s exploitation, and the SDA is leading the charge in Australia.
The SDA is standing up for:
It’s Time to Make Amazon Pay
Amazon has built its digital empire on exploitation and greed. Their race to the bottom on wages and conditions is not welcome in Australia.
Join the SDA and demand fair wages, safe workplaces, respect for your rights and dignity at work.
Your voice matters. Share your experiences with your Union and encourage your coworkers to stand by each other and join the Union.
Amazon must be held accountable not just on Black Friday, but every single day.
SDA members receive information, support and advice from experts to answer any workplace question you may have.