Amazon jobs: 200 more permanent positions created at Rugeley warehouse
Amazon is creating 200 more jobs at its Staffordshire plant after making temporary Christmas posts into permanent positions.
The move will boost the number of employees who work at the online giant's Rugeley headquarters to more than 1,200.
Amazon says the new jobs form part of its plans to create 2,500 permanent jobs in the UK this year, bringing the company's total workforce to 14,500 by the end of 2016.
Last June, the centre launched a recruitment drive for 100 more jobs, a year after 350 posts were created. Over the Christmas period, about 3,000 temporary workers were taken on at the site to help cope with the rise in online Christmas shopping. Recruitment started in a small way in July and August, building up to several hundred people a week leading up to Black Friday in November.
John Tagawa, Amazon's vice president of UK Operations, said: "We are delighted that so many people who helped deliver a first-rate level of service for our customers at Christmas will join the Amazon team at Rugeley Fulfilment Centre on a permanent basis."
The Rugeley centre was expanded last year with a new entrance, mezzanine floor, lorry park and 340 extra car parking spaces for staff. It is the third biggest of Amazon's eight warehouses in the UK.
Recruits have come from across Staffordshire and the West Midlands. The firm promised before Christmas that some seasonal positions would be made permanent although could not confirm numbers.
Former pub manager Jessica Johnson, aged 26, from Cannock, is one of the new intake. She said: "It's a nice feeling to have the job security and to be able to make future plans. My partner and I are now thinking about being able to buy a house."
Another of the new recruits, 24-year-old James Moore from Walsall, who previously worked as an assistant at a building supplies retailer, said: "It's one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I was in shock when my manager gave me the letter."
Amanda Milling MP for Cannock Chase, welcomed the news on jobs. She said: "I am delighted that Amazon has announced that they are offering more than 200 temporary workers permanent roles at their Rugeley site, which is great news for these workers."
