Stockton: Amazon plans to create 2,000 jobs despite cuts

Online retail giant Amazon has said it will create 2,000 jobs in the North East, despite cuts to its global workforce.

The company is spending £450m on a site at Wynyard Park in Stockton-on-Tees, which is due to open in October.

The 464,000 sq ft fulfilment centre is one of three new warehouses in the UK.

In January, Amazon announced plans to cut more than 18,000 jobs worldwide, the largest number in its history, as it battled to save costs.

The company revealed it would shut three UK warehouses and seven delivery stations in the UK which put 1,200 jobs at risk, although Amazon has since said the "majority" of workers affected moved to other roles.

Two months later it announced another 9,000 jobs would go.

In Stockton, it has begun recruiting IT professionals, health and safety managers, finance specialists and teams to pack and ship orders in the new warehouse.

The building covers three floors and features the company's specialised robot technology.

On Monday, GMB union members at an Amazon site in Staffordshire voted to strike over pay.

It comes as warehouse staff in Coventry, already taking strike action, voted for six more months action.

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