A labour dispute continues between Unifor Local 594 and the Co-op refinery. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)

By CJME News

Co-op refinery, Unifor say bargaining to resume Friday

Jan 30, 2020 | 11:44 AM

The Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) and Unifor are to resume bargaining on Friday.

The sides are to meet at 9 a.m., in Regina.

The refinery locked out unionized employees on Dec. 5 after Unifor issued strike notice.

In a media release Thursday, the refinery said the meeting Friday “is being held based on the mutual understanding that Unifor will follow Justice (Janet) McMurtry’s final court injunction order, allowing all vehicles entry and exit from the CRC.

“This includes all CRC gates, the Refinery Business Office and McDonald Street Terminal.”

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The injunction limits the amount of time picketers can delay vehicles at the gates to a maximum of 10 minutes.

The union recently erected fences at the refinery, blocking access to the facility. Unifor also has barricaded Co-op properties in Regina, Weyburn and Carseland, Alta.

Unifor made the first move Wednesday, inviting representatives of Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) back to the bargaining table and offering to remove all of the barricades at the refinery.

In a statement Thursday, Unifor said the company had agreed to meet the union at the bargaining table.

“Unifor has always been deeply committed to bargaining a fair contract for refinery workers, but this is the first move we have seen that suggests FCL is interested in getting a deal,” Unifor national president Jerry Dias said in the media release.

“If it becomes clear at the table that FCL is still unwilling to engage in good faith negotiations, the union’s demand that Premier (Scott) Moe step in still stands. We need the provincial government to support Saskatchewan workers.”

On Wednesday, Dias twice asked the Saskatchewan government to get involved.

Unifor wanted Moe to give the sides 48 hours to find a resolution. If a settlement couldn’t be reached after those two days, Dias urged the premier to introduce binding arbitration legislation that would send the workers back into the refinery by Monday.

The premier’s office responded to Dias’ comments by saying it hadn’t received a formal proposal for arbitration from the union.

In addition to the barricades, the 56-day dispute has included 14 arrests on the picket line, a contempt of court ruling and a $100,000 fine against Unifor.

The refinery has been using replacement workers and managers to operate the refinery during the lockout.