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Amazon says it will lift the average hourly base wage for its Canadian operations employees to $26.27, a $1 increase from last year that the company describes as a four per cent year-over-year raise.
The new rate takes effect Sept. 27 for full-time operations employees across Canada. Amazon says full-time employees working 40 hours a week will earn more than $54,000 annually on average under the new wage.
More Than $78 Million in Raises
Amazon says it is investing more than $78 million in the pay increases for its Canadian operations employees.
“Every day, our associates across Canada go the extra mile to prepare packages for customer deliveries, and we’re grateful for their dedication,” Jasmin Begagic, director of AMZL Canada, said in the company’s announcement.
The company framed the wage move as part of its broader approach to compensation, benefits and career development. Amazon says eligible hourly employees receive planned pay increases every six months until their 24-month anniversary, followed by another increase at month 36.
For workers covered by the Sept. 27 change, the headline number is straightforward: an average base wage of $26.27 an hour, up from last year by $1.
Grocery Discount Starts Oct. 1
Amazon is also introducing a 10 per cent discount on eligible online grocery and daily-essentials purchases through Amazon.ca, beginning Oct. 1.
The company says the discount will be available to eligible employees, including full-time, part-time, seasonal and corporate staff, and will carry no cap on savings.
That benefit is separate from the operations wage increase, which Amazon says applies to its full-time operations employees across Canada. Together, the announcements give Amazon a compensation message centred on both wages and regular household purchases.
“We remain committed to ensuring they have the wages, benefits, and career development opportunities they need to succeed and grow,” Begagic said.
Union Points to Delta Dispute
The timing of the wage announcement has drawn a pointed response from Unifor, which represents unionized warehouse workers at Amazon’s Delta, B.C., facility.
Unifor says the announcement coincides with the end of a mediation process ordered by the B.C. Labour Relations Board in the union’s dispute with Amazon over workers at that facility. The union said Amazon was “feeling the heat” as a contract for workers there approaches.
“It’s about time Amazon recognizes that if they want to operate in Canada, they will do it while respecting the rights of the very workers they employ,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said. “We’re going to keep the pressure on to see workers across Canada benefit from the gains made through collective bargaining.”
The labour board previously found that Amazon violated B.C.’s labour code by excluding unionized Delta workers from scheduled pay increases that had been provided to other employees.
Amazon’s nationwide wage increase arrives against that unresolved labour backdrop, with the company highlighting higher base pay and employee discounts while Unifor links the move to the pressure of collective bargaining in Delta.
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