OGBL and LCGB denounce indefensible layoffs

Amazon officially announced on Friday its plan to lay off 470 employees, an unprecedented figure that represents 10% of Amazon Luxembourg’s workforce[1]. The company claims these mass layoffs are part of a strategic shift to increase investments in artificial intelligence. OGBL and LCGB, however, believe the motive is clear: corporate greed. It is indefensible for Amazon to dismiss workers while simultaneously acknowledging that the company is performing well– a massive understatement given that the tech giant reported record profits of more than 332 billion dollars last year.

The timing of the announcement is particularly cynical. It was communicated to the staff delegation by email just moments after Amazon’s local management met with Labour Minister Georges Mischo to discuss the possibility of negotiating a job protection plan (“Plan de maintien dans l’emploi”). This behaviour demonstrates Amazon’s lack of interest in reducing the number of layoffs or exploring internal solutions such as training or redeployment for the affected employees.

This is not responsible business conduct. It is a callous decision that prioritizes profits over the livelihoods of hundreds of workers, throwing their families and communities into deep uncertainty amid an already challenging job market. Many of the impacted employees relocated to Luxembourg specifically to work for Amazon, and for Third Country Blue Card holders, the consequences of a layoff are especially precarious.

Anticipating that difficult moments could arise, OGBL and LCGB proactively launched campaigns in 2024 to ensure union staff delegates were elected to the Amazon’s staff delegation[2]. For the first time, unions staff representatives will be present at the negotiating table, strengthening the staff delegation’s ability to ensure that employees’ interests remain at the centre of any agreement.

A key demand of both unions remains the establishment of a job protection plan prior to any mandatory layoffs.  This is the type of measure that profitable tech companies can and should implement, rather than laying off hundreds of workers en masse to boost margins.

OGBL and LCGB are determined to hold Amazon accountable and express their full solidarity with all Amazon employees in Luxembourg.

Statement by OGBL and LCGB,
1st December 2025

[1] 4370 employees worked for Amazon as of Jan 1st 2025. Amazon is the 4th largest employer in Luxembourg based on workforce numbers (Source: Statec).

[2] Composition of Amazon’s staff delegation: 22 effective staff delegates, of which 5 are backed by OGBL and 1 by LCGB.