On April 4, Federated Co-operatives Limited and Unifor Local 594 reached a agreement, ending the possibility of a strike or lockout at the Regina Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC).
The union local鈥檚 website stated that on April 3, 鈥淎fter all the ballots have been counted, from the Turvey (Centre) and the workplace, the tentative agreement has been ratified.鈥�
Gil Le Dressay, vice president of refinery operations, said in a press release, 鈥淭his has been a long process, but through it all we never lost sight of our people and how much we value the contributions of all our employees. That鈥檚 why we wanted to ensure all of our current unionized employees maintained their existing monetary benefits along with receiving wage increases.鈥�
Le Dressay went on to say that this agreement will enhance the competitiveness of the refinery, protect the livelihoods of employees and ensure that the Refinery can remain an economic engine for this community and the province of Saskatchewan well into the future.
鈥淲e have always regarded the union as our partners in this organization. These individuals are our co-workers and teammates. Over our 81-year history, our people have been the constant and have stood with us through the good times and during periods of adversity. This agreement demonstrates our commitment to our employees, while enhancing the competitiveness of the Refinery and the entire Co-operative Retailing System.鈥�
Unifor 594 had rejected the Company鈥檚 Final Offer on March 20. After some changes agreed to by both sides, they have now chosen to ratify the contract that includes wage increases, inclusion of all current in-scope employees in their defined benefit pension plan, while moving new hires to a defined contribution pension plan. The agreement also includes the provision of seven-day maintenance coverage on a voluntary bid basis.
The refinery produces 130,000 barrels per day of refined product and supplies most of Saskatchewan鈥檚 fuel through the Co-op鈥檚 network of gas stations as well as through agreements with other gas station chains.
