The Canadian National Contact Point (NCP), a body that assesses companies alignment with the  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, has released its Final Statement on Amazon’s shuttering of facilities in Québec. Alongside partners at Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), Oxfam raised concerns about the human rights implications of Amazon’s decision to close facilities across the province - terminating approximately 4,500 workers - immediately following unionization of one facility. While the Final Statement does not determine legal responsibility, it sends a clear message: the concerns raised by workers are real, relevant, and rooted in internationally recognized standards.

For those following this case, the outcome may feel mixed. The NCP chose not to pursue mediation or make findings on specific allegations, noting that key facts remain under examination in Québec courts. These are appropriate forums to determine legal responsibility and remedies—and we respect that. At the same time, this limits opportunities for facilitated dialogue when workers are asking to be heard. 

Gaps in Amazon’s respect for labor rights: what the NCP makes clear

The NCP affirms that freedom of association, collective bargaining, non-retaliation, and human rights due diligence (HRDD) are core expectations. Its recommendations to Amazon highlight areas for further action:

On Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining:

• Clarify commitment to respect workers’ rights to unionize and bargain collectively in Canada;
• Ensure managers comply with labor rights, including through training;  
• Strengthen meaningful engagement with workers and their representatives, including unions;

On non-retaliation

• Strengthen safeguards so workers can exercise their rights without fear of retaliation;
• Ensure business decisions account for impacts on workers’ rights;

On HRDD and remedy

• Embed HRDD in policies and decision-making; 
• Improve access to grievance mechanisms and effective remediation.

Taken together, these are not small adjustments. They speak to how power, voice, and accountability operate inside the company.

The NCP emphasizes that commitments must be translated into practice, including through local implementation, risk assessment, and engagement with workers.

Amazon, like many global companies, has public commitments; the question is whether they are implemented in ways workers can trust and use.

A recent U.S. labor ruling underscores this urgency. In June 2026, a National Labor Relations Board judge ordered Amazon to bargain with warehouse workers after finding it failed to act on clear majority support for unionization—raising renewed questions about how its commitments are put into practice.

Why human rights due diligence matters now

One of the clearest signals from the NCP is the importance of HRDD.

At its core, HRDD requires asking (and acting on) basic questions:

• How do operations affect workers’ ability to organize?
• How do management systems shape working conditions?
• Where are risks emerging, and how are they prevented?

This is not a one-time exercise. It is ongoing.

In Canadian warehouses and beyond, emerging evidence indicates that productivity pressure, health and safety risks, and worker voice are closely connected. As Amazon’s use of surveillance technology grows, so too do risks to worker - yet public disclosures offer limited insight into how these are identified and addressed. This lack of transparency makes it harder to assess whether harm is beling effectively prevented.

Unions could play a critical role in strengthening labor rights and safety. Ignoring those connections does not reduce risk. It can deepen it.

The NCP is clear: companies are expected to identify and address these risks meaningfully.

Grievance mechanisms: a test of whether systems work

Another critical recommendation focuses on access to remedy.

Workers need systems where they can raise concerns safely, without fear of retaliation, with a real chance of resolution. Too often, grievance mechanisms are not designed with workers, leading to low trust and limited outcomes.

That is why we have published practical guidance on building effective, people-centered grievance mechanisms aligned with the UN Guiding Principles. Strong systems can improve accountability, surface risks early, and support meaningful remedy.

This is not about compliance. It is about accountability.

Workers are already leading

Workers have not been passive. They have organized, raised concerns, and proposed solutions. Quebecois warehouse workers have unionized and worked with CSN to vindicate these rights before Quebec’s Administrative Labour Tribunal, demonstrating leadership in practice.

For Amazon, engaging with that leadership is not only about respecting rights—it is also in the company’s interest. Unions help surface risks, improve working conditions, and co-develop solutions grounded in lived experience. The decision to not recognize the union and withdraw instead signals a reluctance to engage, reinforcing a perception that worker voices are not being heard. Treating workers as adversaries undermines opportunities to address harm early and build more resilient operations.

Respecting workers’ rights means recognizing that leadership and engaging in good faith.

What Amazon should do now

The NCP has set clear expectations grounded in international standards. This starts with:

• Ensuring a non-retaliatory environment for organizing and bargaining;
• Engaging workers and unions in good faith;
• Strengthening HRDD across operations and practices;
• Assessing how business decisions impact workers’ rights, health and safety; and
• Building grievance mechanisms that workers can trust and use

These are not new demands. They are grounded in international standards—and reinforced by the NCP.

From expectation to action

The NCP’s Final Statement removes ambiguity about what is expected.

The question now is simple: Will Amazon align its practices with these expectations?

We call on Amazon to take concrete, transparent steps, strengthening HRDD, safeguarding against retaliation, and respecting workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively in practice, not just on paper. These improvements must be integrated across all operations to meet its responsibility under the OECD Guidelines not only in Canada, but in every country where it operates. 

Because commitments only matter when they are lived, every day, by every worker.