Dear Amazon colleagues,
we cordially invite you to the next transnational meeting of Amazon Workers International that will take place in Paris, France, from January 19 through January 21, 2024.
This is a rank-and-file meeting organized by workers themselves. We want to exchange information, plan mutual support and find common strategies for our fight for better working conditions in the warehouses and beyond.
For a whole decade workers in various countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the US, the UK and Turkey have staged massive protests and strikes to improve their working conditions. Amazon has tried to break the growing resistance with massive union-busting and has fired numerous active workers. Jenifer Bates was fired in 2023 in Bessemer Alabahma, US, Magda Malinowska 2021 in Poznan, Poland, and Rainer Reising 2023 in Achim, Germany, were just the most prominent figures. In Paris we want to discuss how we can defend together against those attacks of Amazon.
For decades Amazon seemed to be a company of unrestrained expansion of warehouses and logistics centers, which had been massively accelerated during the Pandemic of Covid 19. In recent years, however, Amazon has started to close facilities all over the world. Last year they closed a fulfillment center close to Barcelona, this year they closed a fulfillment center in Brieselang close to Berlin and the Air Hub in Leipzig. These are just some examples that highlight the urgency to develop a common strategy of how to prevent the closure of facilities and maximize compensations. In Paris we want to discuss with you, what we can and should do on the local and international level to make our interest count in such situations.
There is no formal organization or any particular trade union or trade union association behind Amazon Workers International or the meeting. Locally most of us are part of a union, but it’s not necessary to be part of any trade union to participate. We invite all Amazon workers who want to fight the exploitative conditions we face every day to participate – whether directly employed or employed by temp agencies or subcontractors, warehouse workers, drivers, office workers and technicians serving Amazon warehouses.
If you have any other specific issues that you would like to discuss at the meeting, please, let us know and we will try to include them in the agenda.
Organizational Issues
This is a meeting of Amazon employees and supporters who help to organize struggles and take on concrete daily support tasks.
Please, register by sending an email with information about your facility and postition to awi@riseup.net – as soon as possible but not later than December 31, 2023. We need your registrations to prepare the meeting and arrange accommodation (in local hostels).
You will receive a detailed agenda and information on the exact location once you have registered. We will also send you a short list of questions which you can discuss and answer with your colleagues in advance.
Please, write to us if you need financial support for travel expenses and we will try to find a solution.
The meeting will be held in several languages, and we will organize translation. Let us know if you need translation into a particular language and if you have other special needs.
While the meeting itself is just for workers and supporters, some events might be public. Media representatives and others who want to learn more about the struggle are invited to participate. If you need more and the newest information feel free to contact us at awi@riseup.net
amazing workers 