Strike enters new phase at FCL Regina refinery

Workers have been locked out of Federated Co-op’s Regina refinery since December 5, 2019, when negotiations went off the rails. Now, the union representing 800 inside workers is launching a boycott of Co-op products to pressure the organization to consider worker pension demands.

Federated Cooperatives Limited (FCL) is offering an 11.75% wage increase (over four years), a performance bonus plan and pension choice. Unifor 594 suggests FCL has lost its cooperative values and is profiting on the backs of employees who are bargaining to keep their savings plan and employer inputs to the pension. Currently, workers do not pay into pensions with FCL covering the full cost that amounted to $72 million in 2019. Federated states they need to get a handle on these retirement costs as it moves into a low carbon economy.

“The union is willing to make changes to pension liabilities but will not budge on pension security for every worker,” says Scott Doherty, lead Unifor negotiator and executive assistant to national president Jerry Dias. “At this time when Co-op is raking in billions in profit, anything less is an unnecessary concession.”

FCL counters by saying, “We encourage Unifor to return to the table and bargain, something they haven’t done since September 26, 2019.  In fact, Unifor has yet to even offer a counter-proposal during the negotiation process.”

Mediation was set in place, but talks broke down in November when the union was displeased FCL was building a camp for temporary workers as a way to keep the facility running. Workers were locked out of the plant on December 5, 2019, and FCL started to bring in necessary staff by helicopter December 8.

Federated Cooperatives’ plant is Western Canada’s third-largest refinery. The facility can process 135,000 barrels of oil per day and produces gasoline, propane and asphalt, as well as other items.