REGINA -- Over two months into the labour dispute between the Co-op Refinery in Regina and Unifor Local 594, picketers have now moved to a location near Moose Jaw. Fences have now been erected at the Co-op Bulk Filling Station north of the city.
"The Regina police kind of jumped the gun on the injunction ruling in Regina. And we need to keep pressure on the refinery so we came out to the bulk station to not allow any trucks in," Unifor 594 member Karl Dahle said.
Picketers arrived at the site around 4:30 a.m. on Monday morning, where they say Co-op is using the facility for storage.
RCMP are aware of the blockade and say officers are "simply there to maintain the peace between the parties."
The new blockade in Moose Jaw comes after Unifor employees abided by a court injunction to remove a blockade at a Co-op cardlock facility in southern Alberta.
In a statement to CTV News, Federated Co-operatives Limited says Unifor continues to "put a lot of effort in to building barricades but show no interest in returning to the bargaining table to get a deal for their local.”
"A lot of our managers are our friends that we play sports with, we coach with, go fishing, hunting with. We get along with everyone in the refinery really well. They don't want to be in there without us, we don't want to be out on the line,” Dahle said.
In Regina, police continue to limit vehicle traffic on Ninth Avenue North between McDonald and Winnipeg Streets. Picketers are allowed to enter on foot. Police will continue the process until a decision is made around a court application from Co-op made on Thursday seeking jail time for Unifor members and millions in fines.
Co-op says they are willing to return back to the bargaining table with a special mediator, as long as all the barricades are taken down.
