PodcastTurkey's HDP backs global 'Make Amazon Pay' campaign in letter to CEO Jeff Bezos
Lawmakers from Turkey's HDP have thrown their support behind the global campaign “Make Amazon Pay,” which calls on the tech giant to provide better working conditions for its employees and to reduce its expanding carbon footprint. In a letter addressing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, 401 global legislators, including 56 HDP deputies, have said that they back the campaign’s demands.
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Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has given its support to the global campaign ‘Make Amazon Pay’, which criticizes the e-commerce giant for its reported harmful business practices.
Following the launch of the Make Amazon Pay campaign on Nov. 27, 401 lawmakers from 34 countries have written to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos backing the campaign’s demands and pledging legislative action in a letter organized by campaign co-convenors Progressive International and UNI Global Union.
The letter, signed by all 56 HDP deputies in Turkish parliament, puts Bezos “on notice that Amazon’s days of impunity are over.”
“We, elected representatives, legislators, and public officials from around the world, hereby put you on notice that Amazon’s days of impunity are over. Last Friday, 27 November, workers, activists, and citizens around the world joined forces to demand justice from Amazon. Today, we pledge to stand with this movement in every congress, parliament, and statehouse where we work,” says the letter.
Apart from the HDP deputies, the letter's signatories include global political figures such as US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, leader of France's France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of Greek party MeRA25 Yanis Varoufakis, and Vice President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala.
The Make Amazon Pay campaign says that Amazon has made profits at a large cost to workers and the environment. Amazon has denied all these accusations made against it.
The global campaign consists of warehouse workers, climate activists, citizens and organizations around the world who have taken it upon themselves to speak up against Amazon.
The campaign says that while during COVID-19 pandemic, while Bezos became the first person in history to amass $200 billion in personal wealth, Amazon’s warehouse workers have been risking their lives and suffering due to low pay.