Trade unions and civil-society organisations are throwing their weight behind the demand by members of the European Parliament that Amazon lobbyists be stripped of their parliamentary access. On February 5th, MEPs on the Employment and Social Affairs Committee sent an official letter to the president of the parliament, Roberta Metsola, urging the withdrawal of lobbying badges from the technology giant’s representatives, effectively barring them from the parliament’s corridors.
The decisive action came in response to Amazon’s refusal to engage with the employment committee on crucial issues concerning working conditions within its warehouses. Amazon declined an invitation to participate in a hearing, reportedly saying that ‘it was not a good day for them’. Amazon is a frequent visitor to the parliament. In January alone, it had nine meetings with MEPs—including one just a day after the hearing.
Amazon already refused to testify at a previous hearing in 2021 and the company cancelled a visit by a delegation of MEP to its warehouses in Germany and Poland, scheduled for last December. On the very day of last month’s hearing, Amazon was fined €32 million for ‘excessively intrusive’ surveillance of workers in its warehouses in France, underlining its exploitative working conditions.
Dismissive attitude
Now a coalition of more than 30 trade unions and civil-society groups is supporting the MEPs’ demand. In an open letter to Metsola, they have voiced deep concerns over Amazon’s dismissive attitude towards democratic scrutiny and trade unions, coupled with its substantial investments in lobbying efforts.
The letter argues that ‘Amazon’s disregard for the EU’s democratic institutions should not allow the company to get off the hook’. Its signatories—which include the European Trade Union Confederation, major union federations such as UNI Europa and the lobby and corporate-power watchdogs Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl and SOMO—ask Metsola ‘to implement Rule 123 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament and call for an immediate withdrawal of all lobbying badges of the company’.
Numbers from LobbyFacts show that, since 2013, Amazon has allocated a staggering €18.8 million towards lobbying European institutions, showing the company’s commitment to influencing policy decisions. Additionally, Amazon currently employs 14 lobbyists accredited by the European Parliament.
Further, a formal complaint filed by CEO, LobbyControl and SOMO has triggered an investigation by the secretariat of the Transparency Register into irregularities surrounding Amazon’s registration. Allegations include undisclosed affiliations with various think tanks and a potentially underestimated lobbying budget. On February 8th, the European ombudsman ‘asked the EU Transparency Register’s Secretariat to carry out more thorough and meaningful investigations when it comes to public complaints concerning alleged breaches of the code of conduct by registered organisations’.
Sharp criticism
The mounting pressure on Amazon is part of a broader movement, led by the Make Amazon Pay campaign, which mobilised strikes and protests across more than 30 countries on Black Friday 2023. The conglomerate’s record, marred by allegations of exploitative labour practices, anti-trust violations, tax avoidance and environmental negligence, has drawn sharp criticism from advocacy groups worldwide.
Amazon is one of the biggest companies operating in Europe and wields immense power over smaller businesses and workers. In recent years, it has also increased its lobbying of EU policy-makers. Yet the company has rejected even minimal parliamentary scrutiny over its business. This is an affront to democracy.
While Amazon invests massively in lobbying in Europe, the company shows an utter disregard for democratic scrutiny of its exploitative business model. It treats democratic institutions, like its workers, with contempt. By calling for Amazon lobbyists to be banned from entering the parliament, MEPs are saying that Amazon’s anti-democratic behaviour must not be tolerated.
It is disrespectful not to attend a parliamentary hearing. This must have consequences for Amazon. Anyone who behaves disrespectfully towards parliament does not deserve to be heard there either.
The collective stance of trade unions and civil-society organisations underscores the urgency of holding corporate entities accountable for their actions. Ultimately, it reaffirms the commitment to upholding democratic principles within the European Parliament.
Bram Vranken is a researcher and campaigner at Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), a Brussels-based lobby watchdog.
Oliver Roethig heads UNI Europa, the European service workers’ union.
Margarida Silva is a researcher at the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO). There she investigates the economic and political power of Big Tech and its impacts.
Max Bank is a researcher and campaigner at LobbyControl, a non-profit association which advocates for transparency and democratic control.
