Italy's Black Friday could turn really dark as the workers at the country's Amazon's (AMZN.O) main distribution hub plans for their first ever strike on the supposedly big business day of the year. Trade unions have threatened to disrupt the big day of heavy discounts after the Thanksgiving Day.
Italy, like rest of the Europe, had recently embraced the Black Friday following the US tradition. Thanksgiving day and Black Friday had made good business during the last few years.
According to reports, the trade union's statement said that more than 500 Amazon workers at the Castel San Giovanni site in Piacenza, northern Italy would take part in the strike on November 24. Failure of business negotiation regarding bonuses with the company had led to the strike.
Workers have also decided not to work overtime until Dec. 31. The strike call has come during the Christmas season which is a peak time for the online retail giant which even used to hire temporary workers to meet requirements during this period.
The Piacenza site of Amazon employs around 1,600 permanent employees. It was built after the launch of company's Italian website in 2010.
Amazon's statement said that the company remained focused on trying to guarantee scheduled deliveries for its customers on Black Friday and in the following days.
The online retailer company stated that the salaries paid to its workers were among the highest in the logistics sector. They said that the company even provided some benefits such as private medical insurance or money to pay for training programs.
According to reports, the consultancy EY has stated that Italy's E-commerce is growing fast while online sales of the country are only around 10 percent of overall retail sales.
