Amazon Increases Canadian Operations Wages by $1
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
The e-commerce giant is raising average hourly pay to $26.27 amid labor disputes in British Columbia.
Amazon announced Wednesday that it is raising the average hourly base wage for its operations workers in Canada by $1, bringing the average to $26.27. According to reporting from CityNews Toronto, the company states this represents a 4% year-over-year increase that will take effect on Sept. 27.
Amazon noted that full-time employees working 40 hours per week will now earn an average of more than $54,000 annually. Additionally, the company stated that starting Oct. 1, certain employees will be eligible for a 10% discount on daily essentials and groceries via its Canadian website.
The timing of the wage hike has drawn scrutiny from Unifor, the union representing workers at Amazon's Metro Vancouver warehouse. In a statement cited by CityNews Toronto, Unifor suggested the company was "feeling the heat" regarding a contract soon to be awarded to workers at the Delta, B.C. facility.
This announcement follows a legal battle in which the British Columbia Labour Relations Board ruled that Amazon violated the province's labour code by omitting unionized workers in Delta from pay increases given to other staff. While Amazon initially opposed the process and preferred direct negotiations, the board ruled last month that binding arbitration would be used to settle the dispute.