Black Friday could be in jeopardy due to strikes, here's what we know

Numerous major online retailers are facing potential disruption around the Black Friday sales period due to box shortages. Workers at the packaging company Amazon uses voted to go ahead with strike action as part of a pay dispute, as per TheGuardian.

Packaging company DS Smith, which makes corrugated packaging for big brands such as Brewdog, Diageo and McVities, has voted to take industrial action later this month unless their pay demands are met. According to the Daily Mail, ‘93 per cent of the GMB members at the company’ voted to go ahead with industrial action.

DS Smith

DS Smith was purported to be hugely profitable during the pandemic and workers feel they are due more money as the cost of living crisis continues. With inflation in double digits, they consider their pay increase to be a cut in real terms.

Workers at five of its sites – Louth in Lincolnshire; Featherstone in Yorkshire; Clay Cross in Derbyshire; Devizes in Wiltshire and Livingston in Scotland will strike over what the union describes as a ‘real terms pay cut’.

DS Smith has offered workers a 3% pay rise along with a consolidated payment for the coming year of £760, according to TheGuardian.

Response

A DS Smith spokesperson responded by saying, as per the Daily Mail:

We are disappointed with the vote for industrial action, particularly at a crucial time for all of our customers. Negotiations are ongoing with unions and we aim to find a solution that works for everybody.

They added that they had ‘robust contingency plans’ in case of packaging shortages.

However, Amazon is expected to be unaffected by these shortages and responded by saying they do not expect to have a packaging shortage. A spokesperson said:

We do not anticipate any shortages and look forward to fulfilling customer orders on Black Friday.

The strike comes at the same time as another strike in the delivery business as Royal Mail workers also have planned industrial action around the Black Friday sales period. Talks are however underway in an attempt to resolve the pay and change dispute.

Sources used:

- Daily Mail 'Now strikers threaten Black Friday chaos as Amazon packaging workers vote to take industrial action'

- The Guardian 'Amazon facing UK box shortages for Black Friday as DS Smith workers vote to strike'