Unifor says it will remove Regina Co-op blockades if refinery owner agrees to go back to bargaining

The union representing locked-out workers at the Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina has made a counter-proposal to the refinery's owner and says it wants to get back to the bargaining table Thursday morning.

Unifor president Jerry Dias said on Wednesday that the union would also remove blockades and fences obstructing entrances and exits to the refinery, in compliance with a court injunction — but only if Federated Co-operatives Ltd., which owns the refinery, agrees to bargain.

"At 10 a.m. [Thursday], if in fact you are available at that time, we will take down the blockade and we will comply, to the letter, of the orders from the Saskatchewan courts," Dias said at a news conference just before 5 p.m. CST.

In a Wednesday afternoon news release, FCL said it had received a counter-proposal from Unifor earlier in the day — the first the union had issued, according to the company, since an impasse was declared last September.

The release said the company is reviewing the proposal, but did not elaborate on what it includes. 

"We stated clearly our willingness to engage in meaningful conversations at the bargaining table, but reiterated our position that the rule of law must be followed," Heather Ryan, vice-president of human resources for Co-op, said in the FCL release.

About 800 Unifor members at the refinery have been locked out since Dec. 5. Since then, the union started picketing at the refinery, and earlier this month set up blockades in the form of vehicles and fences to keep oil from being transported out of the refinery.

A court injunction was granted limiting picketers to obstructing refinery entrances for 10 minutes at a time, or until access was requested, whichever came first. 

The union was found in contempt of that injunction twice, with the most recent decision on Tuesday.

"The bottom line is we hope to be at the bargaining table tomorrow and we intend to be in full compliance," Dias said Wednesday. "We will comply with the orders. Absolutely."

That appears to be a departure from the union's earlier stance. Unifor had argued the court injunctions applied to the Local 594 and not the national union body.

Union wants government intervention

Dias proposed during a 2 p.m. press conference — the first of two held by the union on Wednesday — that Premier Scott Moe issue both parties an ultimatum to get a deal done in 48 hours, and then introduce legislation for binding arbitration on Monday if bargaining is unsuccessful. 

Jim Billington, press secretary for Premier Moe, said in an emailed statement Wednesday afternoon the province had not received a formal proposal from Unifor. Both FCL and Unifor would also have to agree to binding arbitration.

More information about what Unifor is requesting would be needed in that formal proposal, if it were to be submitted, he added.

A second Unifor news conference was held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, with short notice.

Dias said he had not reached out to FCL before announcing his proposal to remove the blockades in exchange for bargaining, but said he was sure the company would respond if representatives were watching his address live.

The union last week said it was willing to negotiate around pensions — a condition FCL said must be met before bargaining.

The dispute between the two parties is mainly focused on the issue of pensions. A previous contract included a defined benefit pension for workers. Now the refinery is moving toward a defined contribution plan.

The union says the change would amount to taking away workers' pensions. The refinery says it is trying to remain competitive.

Dias also said that as of 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the picketers had removed fences from several gates surrounding the refinery.

Some fencing remained up early Wednesday afternoon, including a vehicle blockade at Gate 2 and a closed fence at Gate 3. Dias later said that any fencing that remained in those locations belonged to Co-op.