August 21st 2023.
Siobhán McSweeney, star of Derry Girls, wasn't pleased when she saw Amazon use her image for a tweet. On the 21st of August, Amazon took a picture of her from a Great British Bake Off festival special and turned her words into a meme. The tweet read: 'Your Amazon parcel has been delivered, me at work...' followed by a picture of Siobhán saying: 'I might not go back in... I'm gonna go home actually.'
The 43-year-old was quick to call out the e-commerce company for using her image without her permission. She fired back in frustration, stating: 'As if you'd let an employee leave their work to get a parcel. You won't even leave them go for a pee. I don't like that you are using my image.'
Within twenty minutes of her tweet, Amazon had deleted the post. The actress thanked them for this, but also reminded them to 'sort out your working conditions.' This was likely in reference to the UK strike that took place among Amazon employees earlier this year.
Around 300 members of staff in Coventry walked out after being offered a pay rise, which the GMB union said was worth a mere 50p-an-hour. An Amazon spokesperson said that employees were offered 'comprehensive benefits' as well as a minimum hourly wage between £10.50 and £11.45.
But these claims were disputed in a Channel 5 documentary, Amazon: How Do They Really Do It?. In the documentary, author James Bloodworth claimed that employees were threatened with disciplinaries if they took a day off or spent too long in the bathroom. Amazon denied these claims, calling them 'sensationalised' and 'tired narrative.'
The story has certainly stirred up a lot of discussion and debate. It just goes to show the power of social media and the importance of standing up for what you believe in.
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