Workers at Zara are preparing coordinated protests across seven European countries on Black Friday 2025, which falls on 28 November, pressing for the restoration of a profit-sharing scheme they say was halted after the pandemic. 

The European Works Council for Inditex, Zara’s parent company, together with Spanish union CCOO, has called for demonstrations on 28 November outside Zara outlets in major cities in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain. 

According to Rosa Galan, CCOO representative at Inditex, the retailer previously operated a profit-sharing plan that was withdrawn in the aftermath of Covid-19. 

“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,” Galan said, outlining the central demand behind the protests. 

Inditex has reported strong sales growth in the post-pandemic period, and its share price doubled between 2022 and 2025. 

Black Friday, held each year on the final Friday of November along with the surrounding promotional period, is one of the most important trading windows for retailers.  

The date is increasingly being used by employees worldwide to draw attention to workplace disputes through strikes and public protests. 

In 2022, Black Friday was also the focus of labour action at Inditex, when workers in Spain demonstrated for higher wages. Three months later, store employees in the company’s domestic market secured an average pay rise of 20%, as reported by Reuters.  

The planned action by Zara staff adds to a growing list of workplace disputes affecting major consumer brands during the peak shopping season. 

In the US, Starbucks workers staged a walkout om 13 November 2025, coinciding with the coffee chain’s 2025 Red Cup Day - typically among its busiest trading days.  

Starbucks Workers United stated that staff at 95 outlets in 65 cities joined the strike.