Amazon closes Quebec warehouse in Canada... 1,700 workers face unemployment

Delivery Tasks to Be Outsourced to Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
Backlash as Move Seen as Targeting Unionized Workplace

Amazon has decided to close its warehouses and logistics facilities in Quebec, Canada, and lay off 1,700 employees. Quebec is the only site in Canada with a union, and this decision by Amazon is interpreted as a move to pressure the union.

According to major foreign media such as The New York Times and Reuters on the 22nd (local time), Amazon plans to gradually suspend operations at seven sites in Quebec over the next two months.

Amazon opened three delivery bases in Quebec in 2021, followed by the establishment of fulfillment centers and logistics warehouses that provide integrated services from order to return, utilizing them as a delivery hub for the North American region.

Barbara Agrait, Amazon spokesperson, stated, "We are closing seven facilities to provide excellent service to customers in the long term and reduce costs."

Amazon plans to return to its pre-2020 operating model and outsource delivery tasks to small and medium-sized local businesses.

This move is expected to impact not only full-time employees but also about 250 temporary workers. Amazon plans to offer affected employees up to 14 weeks of pay and reemployment support programs.

Workers at Amazon’s logistics warehouses in Quebec formed a labor union in May last year due to dissatisfaction with wages and working conditions.

The union opposed the closure, stating that the company’s action is setting an example by targeting the only unionized workplace in Canada.

Fran?ois-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Industry, expressed disappointment to Amazon Canada’s representative via Amazon X (formerly Twitter), saying, "This is not how business is done in Canada."

Caroline Seneville, union chairperson, also criticized the move in a French statement, saying, "There is no doubt that the closure announced today is part of an anti-union campaign against the union and Amazon employees," and that this action contradicts Quebec labor law provisions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.