Amazon has announced plans to close three of its more than 30 UK warehouses and seven small delivery sites, affecting more than 1,300 jobs.
Workers at department stores in Doncaster, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire and Gourock in the west of Scotland will be offered positions at other Amazon locations.
It is thought unlikely that many of the 300 workers at the Gourock site will want to relocate as there is no other Amazon facility nearby, such as fulfillment centers in Doncaster and Hertfordshire.
Staff at the seven delivery sites, each of which employs at least 20 people who work with van drivers who bring items to homes, are expected to relocate to other nearby sites. Facilities in Huntingdon, Horley, Newcastle, Birmingham and Hemel Hempstead will close permanently, while old sites in Portsmouth and Aylesford will move to new buildings nearby.
The closures of the older sites come as Amazon prepares to open new delivery warehouses in Peddimore in the West Midlands and Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, which will employ 2,500 people.
Steve Garelick, an organizer for the GMB union, described the announcement as “a real kick in the teeth for Amazon staff who worked hard during the holiday rush.” He said: “Struggling Amazon workers cannot be expected to suddenly pick up sticks and move to a different fulfillment center that may be many miles away. Local workers may not be in a position to take on roles so far from where they live.”
Amazon said the company remained “committed to our customers, employees and communities across the UK.”
West of Scotland Labor MSP Katy Clark described the closure of the Gourock warehouse as “devastating for the local community and the 300 workers who may be out of a job”.
He called on the Scottish government to step in to help workers get jobs back, saying there needed to be “full transparency” about how much it had given to the online retailer in the past. “Amazon has benefited from significant public funding for several years from the Scottish government,” he told the PA news agency.
The Scottish government described Amazon’s move as “very disappointing”.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “We are always evaluating our network to make sure it fits our business needs and to improve the experience for our employees and customers. As part of that effort, we may close older sites, upgrade existing facilities or open new sites, and we have launched a consultation on the proposed closure of three distribution centers in 2023.”
Amazon announced last week that it planned to cut 18,000 jobs worldwide, mostly at its headquarters, in an effort to become more efficient under Andrew Jassy, who took over as chief executive in the summer of 2021.
The changes come as shoppers rein in spending and the online retailer grapples with global economic uncertainty. The company has hired staff in recent years as it has expanded into new fields, including groceries, private label technology and fashion.
Costs at Amazon’s warehouses and delivery operations rose due to a shortage of workers, especially for skilled roles like forklift and heavy truck drivers, forcing the company to raise wages.
Workers at the company’s Coventry depot plan to go on strike on January 25 to demand £15 an hour pay, after winning a historic vote in favor of industrial action.
