Amazon is moving forward with its plan to close warehouses in Quebec, facing pushback from the federal government.
Montreal: Amazon is sticking to its guns about shutting down all seven of its warehouses in Quebec. This decision comes even as the federal industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, is pushing for a review of how the government works with the retail giant.
Champagne is determined to make sure this situation doesn’t go unnoticed in Canada. He’s been vocal about wanting to chat with Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, to discuss the matter further.
The closure is set to cut around 1,700 permanent jobs and 250 temporary ones. This move follows the successful unionization of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Laval back in May.
Amazon, however, insists that the closures aren’t related to the unionization efforts. They claim it’s all about providing efficient services to their customers.
Initially, Amazon expressed willingness to discuss the situation with Champagne and other officials. But later, they made it clear that the CEO wouldn’t be meeting with him directly.
Instead, Amazon’s local team will continue discussions with the minister, while their plans remain unchanged. Champagne hasn’t revealed how the government might respond to this situation, but it’s clear he’s not happy.
He pointed out that the federal government has over 200 contracts with Amazon since 2020, some worth millions. He’s not spilling the beans on what actions he might take, saying it’s all part of negotiation.
Champagne even sent a letter to Jassy, urging him to reconsider the closure decision. He’s been quite vocal about the public’s reaction, noting that they had over a million views on his letter online.
He expressed frustration over Amazon’s lack of transparency regarding the layoffs, feeling he only got half the story during his talks with them. Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also weighed in, stating it’s unacceptable to penalize workers for unionizing.
In Canada, the right to unionize is fundamental, and it’s crucial for foreign companies to respect that if they want to operate here.
