Amazon has denied there was any link between the closure of seven Quebec warehouses last month and the unionization of 250 employees at a facility in the city of Laval. They said it wanted to return to a third-party model, supported by small local businesses. Amazon said about two thousand people would be affected by the decision.
The union, GROUP CSN, which represents about 330 thousand workers in Quebec, says Amazon isn’t fooling anyone. Union President Caroline Senneville says the company’s actions were deliberate.
“It’s clear that Amazon’s decision to close up all their shops, warehouses, and businesses here in Quebec is only for one purpose....to stop the union,” Senneville said.
Senneville says CSN is proceeding with legal action against Amazon, is calling for a boycott of the company, and wants the mass layoffs canceled and the affected warehouses reopened.
“CSN is taking action and it’s urging the federal, provincial municipalities, and all public to stop buying from Amazon to cancel all contracts with Amazon,” Senneville said
Senneville says the closures aren’t true closures because Amazon continues to sell its products in the province. She says Amazon’s decision to a new business model is just an attempt to go around labor regulations.
Quebec’s Labor Minister says employees have a right to organize based on the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms. CSN members are planning to hold a demonstration against Amazon in mid-February.