Zara Workers to Strike Across Europe on Black Friday Demanding Reinstated Profit Sharing

Workers at fast-fashion giant Zara are poised to stage widespread protests across seven European countries on Black Friday, a pivotal sales day for retailers. The demonstrations, coordinated by the European Works Council for parent company Inditex, aim to pressure the company into reinstating a profit-sharing scheme that was discontinued after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coordinated action, spearheaded by Spain's CCOO union alongside counterparts in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and Portugal, is scheduled for November 28. Protests are set to take place in front of Zara stores located in major cities across these nations, highlighting a unified demand from the workforce for a more equitable distribution of the company's significant financial gains.

According to Rosa Galan, a representative for CCOO at Inditex, the company had a pre-existing profit-sharing mechanism in place before the pandemic, which was subsequently abolished. Galan emphasized the rationale behind the protests, stating, "We are once again asking that a company that has huge profits, which are the result of the work of its staff, distribute those profits fairly." Inditex has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the planned protests or the demands.

The world's largest listed fast-fashion retailer has experienced robust financial recovery and growth in the years following the coronavirus pandemic. Inditex has reported strong sales figures, and its shares have notably doubled in value over the past three years, underscoring its impressive market performance during a period where workers' previous profit-sharing benefits were removed.

Black Friday, occurring on the last Friday of November, marks the commencement of a crucial sales period for retailers globally. This period is strategically utilized by companies to attract shoppers, clear existing inventory, and introduce new holiday collections. Coincidentally, the day has also increasingly become a chosen platform for retail workers worldwide to amplify their demands and concerns through strikes and protests.

This isn't the first time Inditex workers have leveraged significant sales periods for advocacy. On the eve of Black Friday in 2022, workers in Spain organized protests advocating for higher wages. These efforts proved successful, as just three months later, Inditex agreed to implement a 20% average wage increase for its store employees in its home country, setting a precedent for the effectiveness of collective action.

The forthcoming protests represent a renewed push by Zara's European workforce to secure what they view as fair compensation and a share in the company's substantial success. The scale and coordination of these demonstrations on such a critical shopping day will undoubtedly place considerable pressure on Inditex to address the demands for a reinstated profit-sharing scheme.