INNISFAIL- For several weeks, protests and disruptions have taken place at the Co-op Refinery in Saskatchewan and at fuel terminals across the Prairies, including here in Alberta.
Two Innisfail and area men - Glen Carritt and Glenn Norman - were vocal last week to support opposite sides of the dispute.
As of Feb. 12, the Co-op Refinery lifted daily fuel restrictions in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Co-op placed limitations on fuel across the Prairies on Feb. 5.
“It’s very good news,” said Carritt, founder of the United We Roll For Canada convoy who was supporting the company side. “Unifor has been restricting the gates, restricting the refinery so the Co-op was forced to put on fuel restrictions.”
Members with United We Roll For Canada convoy recently went down to a Federated Co-op fuel terminal in Carseland to support farmers and local business people who were prevented from accessing fuel.
“This (Carseland terminal) is a huge distribution centre for all of Co-op for southern Alberta so it became very stifling for all of the businesses to continue to operate,” said Carritt. “They were starting to run out of fuel down there.
“There’s a good way to protest. We all have a right to protest and there’s a good way to do that,” said Carritt. “To lock people out from getting their fuel and central services is not the way to do it.”
Unifor protesters in Carseland erected fences and created a blockade in January, preventing fuel trucks from accessing the Carseland terminal.
“We weren’t very happy that they’re illegally blocking our farmers and business people from getting fuel,” added Carritt. “We went down to just try and get some open dialogue and hopefully get the picket line opened up.”
Area farmers, including those with the National Farmers Union (NFU), have shown support for locked out workers at the Regina refinery.
“The refinery has locked out its employees and brought in scabs,” said Glenn Norman, an Innisfail-area farmer and vice-president of policy with the National Farmers Union. “We’re showing support for our fellow workers.
At the heart of the issue for locked out workers in Regina is the fight for workers' retirement pensions.
“It’s not what the workers want, it’s what they have,” said Norman.
“Their pension was established by collective bargaining in the first place and they gave up a whole lot of other benefits (and wages) to get that pension,” he added. “Now the Co-op is trying to get rid of their pension because they have a ($152-million) shortfall because they didn’t put money into it when they were supposed to, according to the collective agreement.
“It’s a terrible situation and it shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “The issue the union has is a valid issue."
Norman said the Co-op is behaving more like a corporation.
“The Co-op is supposed to stand for building better communities. How is locking out workers and bringing in scabs going to build a better community,” he said.
“It’s not like I haven’t thought about this from the Co-op membership perspective as well,” he said, adding that the NFU hasn’t ruled out a ban on fuel.
“If this thing keeps escalating, we’ll call on our members to cease using Co-op fuel and personally, I’m not using it now,” he added. We’ll call for a boycott.”
Carritt noted United We Roll For Canada’s efforts in helping create awareness about the situation.
“They’re a business. They need to take care of their business,” said Carritt. “These unions have gotten quite greedy and they only need to be willing to negotiate and not lock out local farmers in Alberta or Saskatchewan, doing illegal blockades, it’s wrong.”
