CAPTION: Amazon to open logistics center in Kaiserslautern with 1,000 jobs. (picture alliance / dpa)
The online retail giant Amazon plans to open its third logistics center in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Kaiserslautern, which will create around 1,000 new jobs. It is scheduled to begin operations as early as fall 2022, the US-based company announced. A "low three-digit-million-euro amount" will be invested.
The footprint of the three-story building is to be around 48,000 square meters, the company said. "The technology with the transport robots ensures that we can build more compactly and still store more goods in less space than at older locations," it added. It is expected to operate in three shifts, it said.
The mayor of Kaiserslautern, Klaus Weichel, commented: "Amazon's decision to settle here is worth its weight in gold for Kaiserslautern because it supplements our job portfolio in the right place, both quantitatively and qualitatively."
According to the local employment agency, this "continues the upswing in mail-order trade with warehouse logistics in the Western Palatinate region." The sector also opens up opportunities for further development for unskilled workers, it added. The unemployment rate in Kaiserslautern is higher than the state average. According to the city administration, it was 8.2 percent in January, whereas statewide it was 4.6 percent.
In the new logistics center in Kaiserslautern, the basic wage at entry level is to be 12.22 euros gross per hour, according to Amazon. After 24 months, employees would earn an average of just over 2,750 euros gross per month. In addition, there would be various employee benefits.
The German trade union Ver.di has criticized Amazon for years for rejecting collective agreements. It is demanding that the company recognizes the regional collective agreements for the retail and mail-order trade sector and agrees to negotiations on a collective agreement on "good and healthy work."
There are two Amazon logistics centers in Rhineland-Palatinate so far: one in Koblenz with a footprint of 110,000 square meters and 1,900 employees without transport robots since 2012 and one in Frankenthal with 88,000 square meters, 1,900 employees, and supporting robots since 2018.
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