Workers at the world’s largest online retailer plan to strike during one of the busiest holiday shopping weekends.

Amazon workers are preparing to protest in 20 countries, including major cities in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and Brazil, starting on Black Friday over “labor abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy ” said UNI Global. Union and Progressive International, a Swiss-based global trade union.

The strike, dubbed the “Make Amazon Pay Days of Resistance,” will last from Black Friday through Cyber ​​Monday, the union announced in a news release. Protesters are calling for higher wages and for workers to be allowed to join unions.

The strike could lead to holiday delivery delays for customers, economic experts told ABC News.

According to UNI Global Union, unions and allied groups around the world plan to participate.

Thousands of workers in the German cities of Graben, Dortmund Werne, Bad Hersfeld, Leipzig, Koblenz and Rheinberg will also protest, alongside hundreds in New Delhi, demonstrating to demand fair treatment after the mistreatment of workers during a heat wave in July, the union said.

The Association for Financial Transaction Tax and Citizen Action will hold protests in multiple cities across France, and garment workers will also take to the streets in Bangladesh, the union said.

This year marks the fifth annual Make Amazon Pay demonstration, which aims to “hold Amazon accountable around the world” by focusing on a busy holiday shopping weekend. In 2023, Amazon accounted for 18% of global Black Friday sales, with total sales of more than $170 billion during the holiday season, according to an earnings report released earlier this year.

“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at the expense of workers, the environment and democracy,” said Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union. “(Jeff) Bezos’ company has spent countless millions to prevent workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests taking place around the world show that workers’ desire for justice – for union representation – cannot be stopped. demand that Amazon treat its workers fairly, respect fundamental rights and stop undermining the systems designed to protect us all.”

Amazon defended its treatment of workers in a statement to ABC News on Thursday.

“This group is intentionally misleading and continues to promote a false narrative,” said Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards. “The fact is, at Amazon we offer great rewards, great benefits, and great opportunities – all from day one. We’ve created more than 1.5 million jobs worldwide and counting, and we offer a modern, safe and exciting workplace, whether you work in the office or in one of our company buildings.”

The company announced a $2.2 billion investment earlier this year to increase wages for fulfillment and transportation workers in the US. As a result, the average base pay for these workers is now more than $22 per hour and the average total compensation is more than $29 per hour. According to the company, the value of their chosen benefits is taken into account.

Comprehensive benefits for these employees beginning on the first day of employment include health, vision and dental insurance; a 401(k) with 50% company match; a maximum of 20 weeks of paid leave, of which 14 weeks of pregnancy-related disability leave and six weeks of parental leave; and Amazon’s Career Choice program, which Amazon says prepays tuition.

An earlier statement to ABC News from Amazon said: “While we are always listening and looking for ways to improve, we remain proud of the competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and engaging, safe work experiences we provide to our teams.”

Amazon employees have been outspoken about workers’ rights in recent years, especially as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic increased online orders. US e-commerce sales increased by $244.2 billion – or 43% – in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, from $571.2 billion in 2019 to $815.4 billion in 2020, according to the Census Bureau’s annual Retail Trade Survey.

In 2022, an employee-led, independent group led the first-ever U.S. union at the company, unionizing a 6,000-employee Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York.

Although subsequent attempts to operate facilities in Alabama and New York have failed, efforts have continued.

In June 2023, nearly 2,000 Amazon workers staged a strike after a mandate was issued to return to the office. In Kentucky, Amazon workers who spoke to ABC News claimed the company was leading a unionization campaign to discourage workers from organizing.

Amazon told ABC News last year that the disciplinary actions the company took at an Amazon facility in Kentucky were in response to violations of company policy.

“Amazon is squeezing everything it can get, but it changes its behavior depending on its jurisdiction,” James Schneider, communications director for Progressive International, told ABC News this week. “Let’s just say Sweden is much better at dealing with unions. But in the U.S. it’s in the business of destroying unions.”

A 2022 report from the United Nations International Labor Organization found that post-pandemic inflation and rising costs of living have reduced the value of the minimum wage worldwide.

The rise in inflation has paved the way for collective action, experts say. (Starbucks was also part of the 2022 union revival.)

“Amazon is everywhere, but so are we. By uniting our movements across borders, we can not only force Amazon to change its behavior, but also lay the foundation for a world that prioritizes human dignity, not Jeff Bezos’ bank balance,” said Varsha Gandikota . -Nellutla, co-general coordinator of Progressive International.

ABC News’ Max Zahn contributed to this report.