Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I stand to speak in solidarity with retail distribution and transport workers across the country. In the wake of the Black Friday sales, I lend my voice in chorus with the SDA, the TWU and the entire union movement to say no to poor working conditions and low wages in Australia.

Over the weekend, we have seen Amazon workers hit the streets to protest their appalling treatment in Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the USA. Amazon is global, and so are its horrifying workplace practices. Amazon squeezes workers. Real wages are going down while the corporation rakes in revenue of record proportions—$121 billion for the second quarter of 2022—all while doubling down on union-busting tactics. Amazon squeezes communities, for example by paying no income tax in Europe in 2021. Instead, Amazon was paid one billion euros in tax credits on 55 billion euros in sales. Amazon squeezes our planet. Despite including only one per cent of all product sales in its carbon accounting, the corporation's CO2 emissions rose by 18 per cent in 2021.

Again, I am proud to stand with the Australian trade union movement, which is standing up for a fair go for workers, because nothing is more important than a secure job and a decent wage. Make Amazon pay.