Was the founding of Amazon really a boon?

US e-commerce company Amazon may soon expand its operations in Occitania. Two warehouse projects are said to be on the pipeline, provoking the wrath of multinational protesters and the attention of some local elected officials, who consider them a boon to employment in the area.

This is a fight that is constantly making noise in France: against the warehouse plans of the online shopping company Amazon. At the beginning of the year, the crowds increased everywhere, especially in the town of Fornes in Gard, where a 38,000 m2 warehouse was to be built. “An Environmental Disaster” On this former farmland for mobilized activists, but a disaster “Financial and Social”. According to a parliamentary report by the former Secretary of State for the Digital Mounir Mahjoubi, the job created by Amazon destroys just 2 jobs in the body and local business. “Amazon says it definitely wants to create jobs, but these are poor quality jobs and they will be transformed into robots in 10 years,” says Rafael Pratio of the Attack Association. “There are other ways to create jobs considering the terrain, especially through short circuits,” says Patrick Malaviel (PCF), vice president of the County Council of Cards.

“This project is difficult to reject”

Another location Amazon targeted at Oxidani called Rivsalts. During the tenure of Jean-Marc Pujol, head of the urban community in Perpignan, the 5-hectare site was sold to a Toulouse company with close ties to Amazon. Jean-Marc Pujol (LR) sees this as an opportunity for employment and the economy of the Pyrenees-Oriental region: “When this kind of group is formed, it builds behind the subsidiaries, and it’s good for our territory with a high unemployment rate.” “We’re talking about 100 live jobs, so it’s hard to dismiss this project.”, Adds Laurent Cause (SE). Faced with differing opinions on the American company Occitania, we asked for an interview with one of its representatives. Amazon gave us nothing.

Judicial information is open to Fornes

The company simply responds by email. In the Fornes project, the team says they are constantly studying new opportunities. According to Rivsalts, this confirms the existence of the project. As for mobilizations and criticisms that any company means, it is satisfying to respond to: “In fact, our operation benefits the territories in which we operate.” While waiting for the fight against the US company that will sell for $ 100 billion by 2020, it continues in our region. At Fornes, legal information was leaked by Nomes Lawyer’s Office following a complaint by an anti-Amazon consortium. According to this sum, the land sold as part of the warehouse project belongs to the local elected officials or their relatives.