Amazon faced an unprecedented shareholder action last week as investors voted on workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining at their Annual General Meeting. The vote cast was historic as the first resolution of its kind and received a groundswell of shareholder support, with 47% of independent investors voting in favour.

UNI Global Union and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), representing Amazon workers around the world, applaud shareholders for stepping up to send this strong signal that Amazon’s union-busting does not have their mandate. In the wake of business leaders gathering at Davos on the theme of “history at a turning point” we must reiterate our call for action: the crisis faced by workers will only be a turning point if those with the power to change the status quo actually wield it.

Amazon’s violations of trade union rights are a prime test case for whether the discourse on addressing inequality will amount to action, including how investors walk the talk on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. With more than 1.6 million employees, Amazon is estimated to be the world’s second-largest private sector employer, even without taking into consideration the company’s much wider footprint with dubiously-categorised self-employed drivers, its vast value chain and outsized impact on setting the standards of the future of work.

Allegations of anti-union tactics by Amazon have made headlines around the world, including reports of intimidation strategies, retaliation actions and surveillance systems. Such practices directly contradict Amazon’s own commitment “to non-discrimination and non-retaliation that ensures equal treatment for union and non-union employees”. A report published in May by the Center for Law and Work (CLAW) at Berkeley Law indicates “Amazon’s freedom of association policy, on its face, is non-compliant with international labour standards, and Amazon management’s conduct before and after issuing the policy continues to violate international standards”.

Amazon’s board must respond to this strong signal from their shareholders, backing up what workers around the world have called for from Amazon: for the company to drop their opposition to trade unions, allow workers to freely organise and collectively bargain in good faith.

Beyond Amazon, the resolution should serve as a wake-up call for companies and investors. Companies should take note and no longer assume shareholders will support – or even look passively away from – violations of fundamental labour rights. While the resolution is a turning point for investor action on labour rights, far too many institutional investors still failed to support it. They too must be held accountable, and have a big role to play in how they manage workers’ capital to protect fundamental rights and address the systemic social and environmental risks of our time.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

Christy Hoffman, General Secretary, UNI Global Union