A labour dispute between a union and a refinery in Saskatchewan is affecting gas pumps in Manitoba.
Red River Co-op gas bars are experiencing “significant fuel shortages” this week because pickets are blocking fuel shipments from distribution centres at Shell Canada on Panet Road and Imperial Oil in East St. Paul to gas bars in the province.
Paul McKie, the Unifor director for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, says the blockades are part of a Canada-wide response to support hundreds of union-backed workers being locked out by the Federated Co-op refinery in Regina since Dec. 5.
“The main pressure is on 735 locked-out workers who are not getting a regular paycheque, who are being prevented from earning their living. We recognize there is an inconvenience to people, particularly in rural areas, because of the fuel shortage,” he said.
The dispute is over employee benefits and pensions, McKie said.
The Manitoba pickets are local union members who work in a number of different industries and support the refinery workers.
Notices have been taped on Co-op gas pumps in Winnipeg, advising customers to see a staff member who will direct them to the closest gas bar with fuel.
Doug Wiebe, the CEO of Red-River Co-op, says 26 of its 35 gas bars are in Winnipeg, and most are out of gas.
“[Unifor wants] to continue to negotiate while holding a gun to Federated [Co-op’s] head by having illegal blockades that restrict the flow of fuel to Western Canada,” he told CBC Manitoba.
In a statement posted on the Red River Co-op website, the company said the union members are holding the co-operative “hostage.”
“It’s very disappointing. We’ve kind of been thrust into this fight as an innocent bystander,” Wiebe said.
“The fight really is between Unifor and Federated [Co-op]. It’s unfortunate that they’ve escalated their illegal activities to include impacts to our customers, to our members.”
Red River Co-op officials said none of its employees are Unifor members.
It’s one of 170 Co-ops across Western Canada that purchase services and goods from Federated Co-op.
“We stand by FCL and support the fair deal they are offering these refinery workers,” the Co-op statement said.
McKie said the fuel shortages pale in comparison to what the Regina workers are facing.
“The consequences aren’t nearly as severe as those on the locked-out workers. This is all about workers’ rights and fighting to get those workers their jobs back, their pension retained and get back to work,” he said.
“Of course there’s always ripple effects from any job action; that always happens.”
Unifor says people will picket until the employer agrees to return to the bargaining table.
The refinery dispute comes down to proposed changes to pensions. The Co-op Refinery Complex previously said it wants to move its workers to a defined contribution plan, instead of the current defined benefits plan.
The union issued a 48-hour strike notice on Dec. 3, and workers were locked out on Dec. 5.
Later that month, Saskatchewan Justice Janet McMurtry ordered Unifor workers to only hold up fuel trucks at the refinery for a maximum of 10 minutes before letting them through.
On Jan. 22, Unifor workers were fined $100,000 plus legal costs for violating the injunction.The union faced another court hearing in Alberta yesterday for its blockade of Federated Co-op’s fuel terminal in Carseland, Alta.
