Greenock Telegraph | News | Job loss fears at Amazon

Saturday, 6th September, 2008

Published: Thursday, 29th May, 2008 16:30

Job loss fears at Amazon

By Eric Baxter

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JOB loss fears have been raised at Gourock’s Amazon plant after it was revealed bosses are planning changes to a major department.

The company intends to move part of its returns service to its distribution centre in Swansea.

Amazon insists there will be no redundancies, but Inverclyde Advice and Employment Rights Centre has raised fears that positions will go.

An Amazon spokesman said the 28 people affected at Gourock would go to another part of the plant.

He would not say if they would stay on the same wage levels, but said the plan was to actually increase the ‘sortable returns’ part of the business at Gourock.

This involves small items like books and CDs returned because they are not wanted.

Gourock currently gets these items, as well as bulkier goods, such as garden furniture, returned to it. The spokesman said there wasn’t enough room at Gourock to handle the larger items and, at the same time, increase the amount of smaller goods returned.

Now the company wants to have the bulky goods sent to Swansea and to expand the smaller returns section.

Workers are said to be worried this change could eventually mean the company will give up its lease at Faulds Park and close the facility. But the spokesman insisted: “This is all about expansion.”

Advice and Employment Rights manager Jim McCourt said: “There is a real fear that, if these 28 people are moved to another part of the Gourock plant, it will mean them taking the place of agency workers.

“These agency people are local workers and the loss of their jobs would be a blow to the local economy.”

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