DHL Express Canada has asked the federal government for a special exemption from anti-scab legislation set to take effect Friday, according to Unifor — prompting strong criticism from the union which represents more than 2,100 of the company’s workers.
The German-owned parcel delivery company sent a letter to Ottawa requesting an exception from Bill C-58, which prohibits the use of replacement workers during strikes and lockouts. The legislation comes into force June 20, 2025, just 12 days after DHL locked out its employees on June 8.
“Let’s be clear—DHL is not the victim here. This company locked out its own workers, forcing members to respond with strike action, and now they want the government to override the collective bargaining rights of workers,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Lockout preceded anti-scab law
DHL filed a notice of dispute in March after 12 days of bargaining and issued a lockout notice June 4. The company locked out workers across Canada four days later, affecting truck drivers, couriers, warehouse and clerical workers at facilities in British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta.
In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and cabinet ministers, Unifor said DHL’s timing was deliberate and that the company made contingency plans to shift operations to other carriers and trained replacement workers before the lockout began.
“They chose confrontation. Now, instead of negotiating a fair agreement at the table, DHL is running to Ottawa to ask for special treatment to get around a law designed to protect workers and safeguard the integrity of collective bargaining,” Payne said.
Concessions at centre of dispute
The union said DHL has demanded significant concessions during bargaining, including changes to driver pay systems that would reduce compensation and forcing drivers to travel up to 100 kilometres to reach routes without compensation.
Other disputed items include proposed language allowing the company to refuse workplace accommodation requests, easier layoff provisions, and reduced daily minimum guarantees for drivers.
DHL has annual profits of roughly 3.3 billion euros ($4.6 billion Canadian) and revenue from its North American operations worth approximately 6 billion euros ($9.4 billion Canadian), according to Unifor.
Essential services designation questioned
In its letter to government ministers, Unifor disputed DHL’s characterization of its services as critical to Canada’s supply chain. The union noted that when bargaining began in September 2024, both sides agreed no essential services were performed that would prevent immediate danger to public safety or health.
“DHL is not even one of the top four express package delivery companies in Canada and DHL workers represent fewer than 0.7 per cent of all local delivery workers and less than 15 per cent of all courier workers in the country,” the union stated in its letter.
Anti-scab legislation background
The federal anti-scab legislation passed after years of advocacy by unions and received unanimous support from parliamentarians. It prevents employers from using replacement workers during labour disputes, which unions argue levels the playing field in collective bargaining.
“The power to resume full service and support customers is entirely in DHL’s hands. This is a crisis of their making. The only place this dispute will be resolved is at the bargaining table,” said Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier.
