One more layoff in Amazon UK? Seems like 2023 is taking many jobs

Key Takeaways:

• Major online retailer Amazon has announced plans to close 3 warehouses in the UK, potentially putting 1,200 jobs in jeopardy.
• An Amazon spokesperson said the decision to close the UK warehouses was made after a review of the company’s domestic operations.

Amazon, a major online retailer, has declared plans to close 3 warehouses in the UK, potentially risking 1,200 jobs.

The company added that it planned to open 2 new centres as well as create 2,500 jobs over the ensuing 3 years.

The three closing warehouses are in the western Scottish towns of Gourock, Doncaster, and Hemel Hempstead.

According to the company, employees at the closing sites will have the choice of moving to other Amazon locations.

Last week, Amazon revealed that it would be cutting more than 18,000 jobs globally to reduce costs, which might be a record for the company.

According to an Amazon spokesperson, the decision to close the UK warehouses was made following an analysis of the firm’s national operations. Also, it was “completely unrelated” to the larger reductions, which primarily affect office workers.

Peddimore, West Midlands, and also Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, were selected as the locations for the new warehouses, which the firm described as “state-of-the-art” robotic facilities.

The company stated, “We continually assess our network to ensure that it meets our business needs and enhances the experience for our employees and customers.”

Additionally, Amazon intends to open two new delivery centres in Havant and Aylesford while closing seven existing ones in England that employ dozens of people.

These will take the place of the current stations in Aylesford and Portsmouth.

Additionally, stations in Birmingham, Hemel Hempstead, Huntingdon, Horley, and Newcastle that prepare orders for delivery will close.

The online juggernaut debuted in the UK in 1998 and grew quickly throughout the pandemic.

Around 70,000 are employed by it in the UK, including 400 at the Doncaster centre, 500 at Hemel Hempstead, and also 300 at Gourock.

The company runs two additional warehouses in Doncaster and one in Dunstable, about 20 minutes from Hemel Hempstead. As per Amazon, these locations might be able to accommodate workers affected by the closures.

As per Steve Garelick, a GMB union representative for Hemel Hempstead, the actions are a “real kick in the teeth for Amazon staff who operated themselves into the ground during the festive rush.”

Further away from their homes, he added, jobs might be tough for employees to accept.

He stated that hard-working Amazon workers could not be expected to abruptly uproot and move to a different centre that may be located far away.

West of Scotland Labour MSP Katy Clark referred to the closure of the Gourock warehouse after 19 years as “appalling.”

“This is devastating for the neighbourhood and the 300 employees who could lose their jobs,” she continued.

“Throughout the pandemic and holiday seasons, these workers supported households and supplied essential supplies.

“The Scottish Government must act immediately to support these workers in finding new employment.”

Since the pandemic, Amazon has come under increasing pressure regarding workers’ rights.

The Coventry warehouse’s several employees decided last month to go on strike, which is intended to be the 1st time the business has done so in the UK. Due to a dispute over pay, the walkout is scheduled for January 25.