CSN wants transparency after layoffs at Amazon's Laval warehouse

Amazon's Laval warehouse. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Ryan Remiorz)

The union representing workers at Amazon's Laval, Que. warehouse is claiming that at least 30 people have just learned that they will be losing their jobs.

Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) President Caroline Senneville says that, while it can be common in the retail world for layoffs to occur after the busy holiday season, she sees it as retaliation for the workers' unionization.

However, Amazon denies any malicious intent and accuses the CSN of spreading false information.

Spokesperson Barbara Agrait insists that the employees "were hired as seasonal workers and their contracts clearly stipulate an end date for their employment."

Nevertheless, Senneville says she deplores that the union was not informed of the exact number of layoffs or the criteria used to determine who was laid off.

She argues it was not necessarily the latest hires who were laid off, as some were hired six months ago.

The union, certified last May by the Administrative Labour Tribunal, is still negotiating its first collective agreement.

Further meetings are scheduled for January.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 7, 2024.