E-commerce leader Amazon.com (AMZN.O) has announced its decision to shut down operations in Quebec, resulting in the loss of approximately 1,700 full-time positions, a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Over the next two months, the company will phase out activities across seven sites in the province, which houses Canada’s only unionized Amazon employees.
Amazon plans to revert to a third-party delivery model, relying on local small businesses, a system it employed prior to 2020. “Following a recent review of our Quebec operations, we’ve seen that returning to a third-party delivery model will allow us to provide even more savings to our customers,” said Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait.
The closure will also impact around 250 seasonal workers. Amazon has pledged severance packages, including up to 14 weeks of pay and transitional support such as job placement resources, to affected employees.
In May, warehouse workers represented by the Canadian labor union Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) unionized, citing low wages and poor health and safety conditions. CSN, representing 300 workers at a site north of Montreal, criticized Amazon’s decision, calling it an “anti-union campaign” targeting the company’s sole unionized warehouse in Canada.
CSN president Caroline Senneville expressed strong opposition to the move, stating, “This decision contradicts the provisions of the Quebec Labour Code, which we will strongly oppose.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
