Amazon creates 6,000 new permanent jobs in Europe

BERLIN, Germany - Amazon.com Inc created 6,000 new full-time positions in Europe in 2014 to respond to booming demand, the U.S. online retailer said on Tuesday.

Amazon said in a statement it now employed 32,000 permanent staff in the European Union, with the new jobs created in logistics centers, customer service, software development, supply chain management and design.

"We are still in a phase of investment and look forward to being able to fill more positions in 2015," said Xavier Garambois, Amazon vice president for EU retail, adding that customer demand in Europe was bigger than ever.

Amazon said around 1,200 of the new jobs were in Germany, its second-biggest market after the United States where it employs 10,000 warehouse staff plus more than 10,000 seasonal workers. Britain had the next most new positions with the rest spread around other countries.

Amazon has been hit in Germany by a series of strikes over pay and working conditions.

Trade union Verdi has organized frequent strikes since May 2013 to try to force the retailer to raise pay for warehouse workers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements across Germany's mail order and retail industry.

Amazon has repeatedly rejected the union's demands, saying it regards warehouse staff as logistics workers and that they receive above-average pay by the standards of that industry.