By UNI Global Union and Antonio Sciotto
Global Research, June 04, 2018
Global.ilmanifesto and Socialist Project 4 June 2018
First-ever Agreement Between Amazon and Unions Halts Inhumane Work Hours in Italy
by UNI Global Union
Amazon employees in Italy have made history. Workers announced on May 23rd the first-ever direct agreement between unions and the company anywhere in the world. The Italian agreement tackles inhumane scheduling, one of the core labour problems at Amazon fulfillment centres globally.
The deal, which is supplementary to the nationwide sectoral collective labour agreement, ensures fairness in scheduling through reductions in mandatory night shifts and distributing weekend work in a just way. Amazon is notorious for long hours, punishing quotas, and little break time during shifts. In some facilities, workers say they do not have time to even use the restroom.
Italian union Filcams Cgil Nazionale played a leading role in the negotiations.
“We are pleased with this result which is currently unique in Europe,” said Massimo Mensi, a leader in Filcams Cgil Nazionale’s Amazon campaign. “We hope it will pave the way for many other negotiations in all the countries where Amazon has its operations.”
“The agreement provides that night work is initially carried out only by voluntary employees, providing, among other things, an increase of 25 per cent of the compensation under the employment contract,” Mensi continued.
Workers are guaranteed four consecutive free weekends every eight weeks and shifts alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.
International Support
The win in Italy comes after months of protests and organizing by workers. With UNI’s help, Italian and German workers coordinated strike activity in November 2017.
Source: Amazon Workers Organize. Inhumane Work Hours in Italy
The Most Revolutionary Act 
That is not free market capitalism.
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That’s for sure, marblenecltr. Monopoly capitalism is a very different kettle of fish.
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We are being led to corporation/banker feudalism. The goal in Orwell’s “1984” is a world ruled by three emperors. (Lucifer’s Trinity.)
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For those of us who have had slave jobs, Amazon is the worst. They terat humans worst than cattle. Seattle is the most awful, evil city, in the world. If it sank into the ocean, fine.
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I used to live in Seattle, Len, and I’m inclined to agree with you. Seattle spawned some of the most pernicious corporate monopolies in existence – Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks – and all we granted generous tax concessions.
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Well, that is good news for these workers, but workers elsewhere got a ways to go. And meanwhile people are begging Amazon to let them shop there since Amazon has banned some people because the claim is they are returning items too many times. I wish the hell a store would tell me that, it would be the last business they’d ever get from me. But people who have been banned from shopping via Amazon have written letters to Bezos himself, begging him to let them shop at Amazon and promising to NEVER return another item even if it’s broken. Now, how pathetic is that? People got shit for brains and we wonder why Amazon can get away with treating workers the way it does. Amazon figures everyone is brain dead by now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5758887/Shoppers-claim-abruptly-banned-Amazon-making-returns.html?ITO=1490
“One customer – Nir Nissim – was notified in March that his account was being closed because of a violation to the conditions of use agreement.”
“He was eventually informed by a customer service agent that his return activity was the root of his troubles. But Nissim was adamant that his one return this year, and four returns last year, didn’t warrant the response.”
“Reaching out to Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, Nissim was eventually contacted by a representative who reinstated his account.”
Totally ridiculous!! Apparently, Amazon is the only game in town. For the love of !!!!!
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Wow, thanks for the link, Shelby. This is all news to me. People seem to be just as addicted to Amazon as they are to Facebook. I, too, find it mystifying. There must be some kind of subtle brainwashing going on.
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True! And it would seem that not too many people are immune to the brainwashing. More’s the pity!
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Reblogged this on Human Rights & Activism.
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