DHL Canada Employees Stage Walkout Amid Stalled Contract Negotiations

According to a recent report from Unifor, workers at DHL Express Canada have initiated a strike following a lockout by the company early Sunday morning. This action comes after negotiations for a new contract broke down, prompting over 2,100 employees—including truck drivers, couriers, warehouse personnel, adn administrative staff—to leave their posts around 11 a.m.ET.

The union claims that DHL is attempting to alter the pay structure for drivers and plans to employ temporary workers before new federal regulations prohibiting such actions take effect on June 20. In response to the situation, DHL issued a lockout notice on Thursday; Unifor quickly followed with its own strike notice the next day. Company spokesperson Pamela Duque Rai stated that they proposed a wage increase of 15% over five years, including an initial bump of 5% in the first year. She emphasized that these adjustments aim to align with changes in Canada’s economic landscape.

DHL expressed disappointment over the lack of progress toward reaching an agreement: “Unluckily, there simply was not enough progress to result in a new collective agreement,” they noted.

Unifor President Lana Payne has voiced strong criticism regarding DHL’s strategy of potentially using temporary workers during this period. “DHL sees this as exploiting loopholes while trying to pressure our members into concessions,” she remarked. The tension escalates when employers resort to replacement labor during disputes like these.

Last week,Unifor reported that DHL had transported temporary workers for an orientation at one of its sorting facilities located in Hamilton,Ontario—suggesting they might be hired if work stoppages occurred.Though, DHL has not provided any comments regarding their plans for replacement staff.To mitigate disruptions for its extensive customer base—which includes well-known brands such as lululemon and Shein—DHL claims it has developed contingency strategies aimed at maintaining service continuity across Canada’s network. Duque Rai reassured stakeholders: “With these proactive measures in place, we are confident we can sustain operations throughout our Canadian network.”

Negotiations between Unifor and DHL have been ongoing since last year; however, talks reached an impasse after the previous contract expired on December 31. In may alone, workers overwhelmingly voted—97% in favor—to authorize strikes due to unresolved issues surrounding wages and working conditions among others.Key concerns raised by Unifor include compensation structures related to surveillance practices and workplace automation initiatives introduced by DHL. The union argues that proposed changes could require drivers to travel important distances without proper remuneration—a move they believe would unfairly disadvantage owner-operators through altered routes and reduced pay under this new system.