The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Pilots and scientists join Amazon team
A pilot, a scientist and a dog boarding entrepreneur are just some of the people who have taken up jobs at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline during the Covid-19 crisis.
The fallout from coronavirus has led thousands of businesses to temporarily stop trading and millions of workers to be furloughed.
Meanwhile, with online shopping sales exploding, internet retailer Amazon has hired more than 15,000 people for its fulfilment centres and logistics network.
The new employees at Amazon Dunfermline have come from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Elaine Warburton, from Scotlandwell near Loch Leven, ran the Barking Mad Fife and Kinross franchise for the last six years with her husband John, offering dog sitting and bespoke dog holidays.
She said: “On March 24 our business, home-from-home doggy holidays, stopped immediately.
“We suddenly found ourselves with no money coming in and still having bills to pay. The job brings in a much-needed income but also gives me and the family a structure and routine to the week which is helpful in these troubled times.”
Greg Poulter-Jones, who worked as a pilot for Flybe, is currently working in the shipping department at the Fife fulfilment centre.
He said: “I appreciate being given the opportunity to work at this time.
“I hope to fly again soon and may go back into instructing depending on how quickly the airline industry recovers.”
Alasdair Lennon, from Dunfermline, worked as a research scientist in the field of quantum technology at Strathclyde University.
His contract ended as the coronavirus and subsequent lockdown happened which made trying to get a job relevant to his skill set incredibly difficult.
He is currently working as a picker at his local fulfilment centre and plans to look for jobs within Scotland’s flourishing photonics industry.
Amazon has implemented a series of preventative health measures to keep its workers as safe as possible while demand has increased.
Any employee diagnosed with Covid19 or placed into quarantine receives up to two weeks of additional paid time off.