EAST CENTRAL — Striking refinery workers are demonstrating in Stenen, Pontrilas, Porcupine Plain, Meacham and Southey to get their message out to rural populations.
“It’s about getting our message out there, and that we’re still locked out. We tried everything in our power to get an agreement with the company, and we’re still locked out,” said Kevin Bittman, president of Unifor 594, the union representing the workers.
“The latest offer the company put out there didn’t have a mechanism to get everybody back to work. We got locked out together and we should be able to go back to work together but the company is insisting they keep the lockout going.”
The main sticking point has been the pension plan. Right now, the workers have a defined benefit plan. The refinery wants to change that to a defined contribution plan. The union said in the last round of negotiations, the refinery promised to retain the current plan in the future. The refinery says defined benefit pension plans are not sustainable.
Union refinery workers were locked out of Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL) refinery on Dec. 5, after months of bargaining. The workers responded by setting up a barricade.
On Feb. 6, Unifor released a plan to immediately end the lockout, calling for the Saskatchewan government to agree to the appointment of a mediator with the power to implement a binding settlement.
On that same day, FCL won an interim court injunction against the striking union members. According to the injunction, the striking workers can remain at the site so long as they do not restrict access or intimidate anyone trying to enter the property.
Later that month, the provincial government appointed a mediator, who came up with a final report and recommendations.
On March 23, in the wake of pandemic concerns, the union bargaining committee made what they referred to as “the tough decision to accept the recommendations” and the membership ratified the deal, following the recommendations.
FCL rejected the deal, saying in a media release the recommendations were not sustainable in the long-term. They added the impact of the pandemic had to be considered.
“Global economic circumstances have changed, and with that, we have seen a drastic decline in the consumer consumption of fuel and rapidly declining oil prices that have put the [refinery] in a more difficult financial position than when negotiations began.”
FCL responded with what it called its “best and final” offer on April 5. Unifor 594 members voted on the offer and 89 per cent rejected it.
“Co-op had every reason to be satisfied with the mediators’ recommendations, but they got greedy,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor’s national president, on April 28. “Regina’s refinery workers have sent a clear message to Premier [Scott] Moe: impose the mediators’ recommendations and end this dispute.”
On May 25, the striking workers began the process of handing out information pamphlets to customers at rural co-op locations.
Bittman said this decision was made after difficulty getting their message out through the media.
“We have a co-op value system that everybody loves, and that everybody enjoys, and it is being attacked right now and Federated Co-op isn’t sticking to its roots,” he said.
“We took it on the road to try to get to the rural communities to try to change, and give people the education they need to see what’s going on here, that it’s really union busting at its finest.”
