Unifor says company’s demands would hurt workers
International shipping company DHL Express has shut down operations across Canada starting today amid a strike and lockout involving 2,100 truck drivers and other workers, according to a report.
The company announced it would halt parcel deliveries beginning today.
Inbound packages to Canada will case Tuesday night, according to CTV News.
Canada’s anti-scab legislation—Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012—takes full effect today.
“Due to the recent implementation of new labour legislation in Canada, DHL Express is not able to deploy replacement workers or other necessary contingency measures to mitigate the impact of labour action and maintain its high standard of service quality,” the company said, according to a Freight Waves report.
The company has reportedly sent a letter to the federal government requesting a special exemption from the new rules, according to Unifor.
This request for an exemption to allow DHL to continue using replacement workers—or for federal intervention in the bargaining process—is “part of that broader effort to undermine the tools that workers rely on for fair and meaningful negotiations,” said the union.
Unifor claims its proposals are fair and reflect the current economic landscape.
“While Unifor will not negotiate in public, our proposals are grounded in fairness and reflect the reality of rising costs and the need for dignity and respect on the job—especially after a year of stalling and aggressive concession demands from the company,” said the union.
“For owner-operators, any proposed increases are directly tied to soaring fuel prices, growing vehicle operation costs and a fair wage increase that keeps pace with inflation—realities DHL has consistently refused to recognise.”
Throughout bargaining, the union claims the company has demanded “significant concessions that would severely hurt workers.” These include “changing the driver pay system in a way that would result in less money for drivers” and “forcing drivers to travel up to 100 kilometres just to reach their routes or pick up freight—with no compensation,” among others.
In response, DHL stated: “DHL Express will continue to engage constructively and in good faith with Unifor over a new collective agreement that provides fair compensation to team members while ensuring a sustainable, long-term foundation for the company’s operations in Canada. DHL’s priority is to reactivate normal service to and from Canada as soon as possible,” according to FreightWaves.
Previously, DHL said it was rolling out a “contingency plan” to continue serving its more than 50,000 customers, including major retailers such as Lululemon and e-commerce companies like Shein and Temu, according to the CP report posted in CTV News.
Spokesperson Pamela Duque Rai had said in an earlier email that DHL did not expect “significant disruptions” to its service.
In December 2024, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered striking Canada Post employees to return to work.
