Two years after Alibaba opened its first warehouse at Liège Airport, the company has provided significantly fewer jobs than officials had promised it would bring, according to a confidential agreement seen by Le Soir.
Alibaba has a 30,000 m2 warehouse at the airport, with plans to open other two centres. In 2020, the Belgian airport signed a contract with Cainiao logistics company, owned by the Chinese group, for a 50-year lease on 12 hectares of terrain.
Former Walloon Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, who was in charge of Airports at the time, said in April 2019 that "Cainiao commits to creating a minimum of 25 jobs per hectare, which is equivalent to 600 jobs, depending on the area granted." The Minister had said that the number of direct jobs would be stipulated in the contract with Alibaba.
Eric Xu of Cainiao Network and Walloon Minister of Budget, Finances and Airports Jean-Luc Crucke during the inauguration of the logistics platform of Cainiao, the logistics branch of Alibaba, 8 November 2021 at Liège Airport. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
Le Soir now reveals that the contract has rather tentative conditions. Alibaba commits to "obtaining a level of employment of 20 to 25 jobs – full-time equivalent (FTE) – per hectare", which would mean a minimum target of 350 FTEs. The agreement does not provide for any penalties if Alibaba does not reach this threshold.
The office of current Minister Adrien Dolimont confirms that the agreement does not allow for immediate termination if the employment conditions are not met, but that "there is an obligation".
Liège Airport, the Dolimont cabinet and Cainiao network assure that the employment criterion is largely respected on the ground.
