DHL Canada Locks Out Workers Amid Rising Parcel Industry Tensions
Hey everyone, I wanted to talk about something pretty significant happening right now in Canada’s parcel delivery sector—DHL Express Canada has officially locked out its workers across the country, and it’s adding even more tension to an already shaky logistics industry. This all kicked off on Sunday, June 8, and it’s affecting more than 2,000 employees represented by Unifor, which includes truck drivers, couriers, warehouse staff, and call centre workers.
Now, DHL claims they’re still able to operate as usual. They say they’ve got a “contingency plan” in place to keep parcels moving for over 50,000 customers—including major brands like Lululemon, Shein, and Temu. According to the company, there shouldn’t be any major service disruptions. But let’s be honest—when a big national carrier locks out its workforce and talks about “replacement workers,” it raises a lot of red flags.
Unifor is calling out DHL for what it sees as a deliberate strategy to pressure the union before new legislation kicks in. There’s a federal ban on replacement workers that comes into effect on June 20. Until then, it’s technically legal—but the optics aren’t great. Unifor’s national president, Lana Payne, didn’t hold back. She said the company is exploiting this legal gap to try to weaken the union’s position at the bargaining table.
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And the issues at stake aren’t minor. The union is fighting for better wages, improved working conditions, and serious concerns about increased surveillance and automation. There's also the controversial proposal to change how drivers get paid. Under DHL's plan, some drivers could end up traveling long distances—up to 100 kilometres—for pickups without any compensation. That’s on top of concerns about restructured routes and reduced pay for owner-operators.
To make matters worse, DHL bused in potential replacement workers for a tour of a Hamilton facility just last week. So it’s clear they were prepared for this standoff. The company is offering a 15% wage increase over five years and says it’s aiming to keep compensation competitive, but clearly, there’s a disconnect between what DHL is proposing and what the workers are willing to accept.
It’s not just DHL, either. This disruption is happening while Canada Post is already facing its own labour dispute with over 55,000 workers. The parcel delivery ecosystem is under pressure from all sides right now.
What’s also interesting is that this lockout won’t impact DHL’s work with the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix coming up next weekend. That part of their operations is handled separately. But for everyone else relying on parcel deliveries—especially businesses—this could still have ripple effects.
The bottom line? This standoff is about more than just packages. It’s about respect for workers, fair pay, and the right to negotiate without being undermined. Unifor has made it clear: they’re not backing down, and they’re prepared to stand strong, no matter how DHL chooses to play this. Let’s see how this unfolds in the days ahead.
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