As part of the ongoing labour disruption at the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) in Regina, Sask., Unifor has taken the fight to Alberta.
Unifor is now blocking fuel trucks from entering and exiting FCL’s fuel terminal in Carseland, Alta., with fuel destined for Co-op gas bars in Alberta and British Columbia.
“We’re disappointed that they’ve decided to follow this aggressive route considering earlier this week we had discussions about conditions needed to resume bargaining,” said Vic Huard, FCL’s executive vice-president of customer experience and stakeholder engagement. “These aggressive tactics just don’t line up with the values of Western Canadians.”
This follows the current barricade that Unifor has erected in front of the CRC which is blocking all fuel trucks from the refinery. As well, Unifor has targeted local Saskatchewan businesses by erecting fencing blockades around co-op sites three times since Jan. 10, 2019.
According to a statement from CRC, the company “has stated consistently that meaningful negotiations require Unifor to drop their pre-conditions regarding no changes to the pension plan. In light of Unifor’s escalation in the past week, and the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench orders and the recent contempt of court ruling, the CRC believes Unifor should respect the court and comply with the court order regarding access to the refinery.”
CRC has stated it will not return to the bargaining table while “Unifor maintains an illegal blockade at CRC or any other Co-op location.”
