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Organizers demand better workers’ rights and climate action. Plus, Israeli killing of journalists in Lebanon could be war crime, experts say
Good morning.
Thousands of Amazon workers are expected to protest or strike in more than 20 countries during Black Friday and Cyber Monday to agitate for better workers’ rights and climate action.
What are organizers saying? Christy Hoffman, the general secretary of UNI Global Union, said: “Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy.” Amanda Gearing, a senior organiser at GMB, said: “Amazon represents everything that is broken about [the UK’s] economy. Insecure work, poverty wages and often unsafe working conditions.”
How has Amazon responded? A spokesperson said “we’re always listening and looking at ways to improve” but insisted “we remain proud of the competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and engaging, safe work experience we provide our teams”.
What’s the humanitarian toll of the war? After the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and during which 250 were taken hostage, Israel has bombarded the territory with airstrikes and a ground invasion. Infrastructure has been decimated, the population displaced multiple times and brought close to starvation, and more than 44,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, with the UN Human Rights Office verifying nearly 70% were women and children. The death toll is understood to be an underestimate, with the UN estimating in May 2024 that more than 10,000 people’s bodies were under the rubble.
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