Oxfam America and the Confédération des syndicats nationaux have filed a complaint with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development alleging Amazon violated international business conduct guidelines when it closed seven Quebec warehouses in January 2025, eliminating more than 4,500 jobs shortly after workers at one facility unionized.
The complaint, filed Sunday with support from Oxfam-Québec, claims Amazon breached OECD guidelines on workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively and freedom from retaliation. The union represents Amazon’s unionized employees in Laval.
Amazon shut down its entire Quebec distribution network on Jan. 22, 2025, laying off 1,700 employees directly and causing the elimination of more than 4,500 total jobs. The closures came after workers at the company’s DXT4 warehouse in Laval formed Amazon’s first Canadian union.
Timeline of events
In 2024, Quebec’s Administrative Labour Tribunal found Amazon obstructed a unionization drive at its YUL2 facility in Lachine. The company also ran an anti-union campaign at the DXT4 warehouse during its unionization effort, according to the complaint.
Rather than negotiate with newly unionized DXT4 employees, Amazon closed all seven Quebec facilities, the complaint states.
What the complaint seeks
The organizations are asking the OECD to require Amazon to enter mediation. Their demands include reinstating the 1,700 laid-off employees, providing one year’s salary compensation for each worker, and requiring Amazon to honour its human rights obligations under OECD guidelines.
The complaint alleges violations of chapters II, IV and V of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.
Union and advocacy response
“This is precisely what Amazon did when it closed its warehouses and laid off 1,700 employees to avoid being forced to respect their right to organize and bargain collectively,” said Caroline Senneville, president of the CSN.
Béatrice Vaugrante, executive director of Oxfam-Québec, said the closures align with concerns about Amazon’s labour practices. “These recent moves exacerbate inequalities and harm workers in Québec and elsewhere,” she said.
The CSN represents 330,000 workers in the public and private sectors across Quebec and Canada.
