Amazon Australia creates 500 permanent jobs after criticism of casual workforce

28 February 2019 Books+Publishing

Amazon will create 500 permanent jobs in its Australian fulfilment centres following criticism about the insecure casual employment of its labour hire workers, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The permanent jobs will be first created at Amazon’s Dandenong South fulfilment centre in Melbourne’s east, before the company looks at its facility in Moorebank outside of Sydney, which was opened six months ago. Amazon employs 1500 people in Australia among 250,000 globally.

Amazon Australia director of operations Robert Bruce said, ‘As we grow our local operations, we will be transitioning the majority of the associates to full-time permanent employees with competitive pay and benefits, as we have done in other places where we operate around the world.’

National Union of Workers (NUW) secretary Tim Kennedy said Amazon’s announcement of permanent jobs ‘comes after consistent pressure for secure jobs from the NUW and public scrutiny since they opened their doors in 2017.’

Last year Fairfax reported that casual workers employed through labour hire firm Adecco at Amazon’s Melbourne centre felt pressure to meet performance targets or risk losing their jobs. Yesterday ABC News ran a story investigating working conditions at the centre.

The global retailer opened its first Australian fulfilment centre in Melbourne in 2017, and launched its local website in December 2017.

Category: Local news