The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), a TUAC affiliate, filed a complaint with the Canadian National Contact Point (NCP) in November 2025 against Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, with the support of Oxfam. Amazon had closed all seven of its Quebec warehouses following the unionisation of its Laval facility – Canada’s first Amazon union – resulting in 1,700 direct layoffs and more than 4,500 job losses.
TUAC welcomes the Canadian NCP’s Final Statement, which confirms that the issues raised by CSN are relevant to the Guidelines across three areas: freedom of association and collective bargaining, non-retaliation in operational decision-making, and human rights due diligence. While proceedings before the Québec Administrative Labour Tribunal are ongoing, the NCP identified systemic concerns regarding Amazon’s labour policies and practices, distinct from questions of legal liability, that fall directly within its mandate to promote effective implementation of the Guidelines.
The Final Statement sets out concrete recommendations inviting Amazon to strengthen processes for regular, good-faith engagement with CSN and its members, reinforce safeguards against retaliation for protected labour activities such as organising and bargaining, deepen meaningful stakeholder engagement with CSN as part of ongoing due diligence, and enhance access to grievance and remediation mechanisms. The NCP will follow up with Amazon on implementation of the recommendations.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining are enabling rights for workers. When these rights come under pressure, TUAC insists that NCPs must act decisively – as the Canadian NCP has done, issuing forward-looking guidance and committing to monitor its implementation while parallel legal proceedings continue.
TUAC will continue to work with CSN to track Amazon’s progress on these recommendations.
The Canadian NCP has set an important benchmark for how the Guidelines should work in practice. TUAC calls on National Contact Points across the OECD to apply this approach in similar cases – particularly its emphasis on practical procedures, sustained engagement with unions, and rigorous follow-through.
