SaskatchewanJerry Dias, Unifor national president, has been taken into police custody while on the picket lines at the Co-op Refinery in Regina.Union members blocked entrances to refinery as latest action in escalating labour disputeHeidi Atter · CBC News · Posted: Jan 20, 2020 2:39 PM CT | Last Updated: January 21Unifor president Jerry Dias, left, and the union’s lead negotiator Scott Doherty. Dias was taken into custody by police on Monday amid a labour dispute at the Co-op Refinery in Regina. (Heidi Atter/CBC)An ongoing labour dispute has resulted in multiple Unifor union members being taken into custody in Saskatchewan on Monday, including president Jerry Dias. At least two other people were taken into custody while on the picket lines, including regional union director Gavin McGarrigle. Blockades set up at the Co-op Refinery in Regina by Unifor members were being removed by tow trucks on Monday evening. The arrests began when a crowd stood near a U-Haul, preventing its towing. It’s unclear if charges have or will be laid. The union blocked at least six entrances to the refinery as the latest action in an escalating labour dispute. Dias, Unifor national president, had said at a media conference Monday morning that the blockades were set up by members of other Unifor locals. He argued that the action therefore did not violate a court injunction barring members of Unifor 594 — which represents workers at the refinery — from blocking access to the facility. Police took Unifor members into custody after the union constructed blockades at the refinery. (Unifor/Twitter) “We’ll deal with that in court because our argument today is that we are not violating any injunction at all,” he said. Monday marked 46 days since Unifor members were locked out. Later on Monday, once the blockades were being deconstructed, Dias used Twitter to accuse the Regina Police Service of picking sides, and put a call out for more Unifor members to travel to Regina in solidarity. We need thousands more #Unifor members to come to Regina because @reginapolice have decided to side with @CoopFCL https://t.co/IJPjqGp6BV—@JerryPDias Officers on the scene told picketers that the blockades would be removed and that if there was any interference with the duties of workers removing the vehicles, there could be arrests made. The contract dispute mainly comes down to pensions. A previous deal included a defined benefit pension for workers. Now the refinery is moving toward a defined contribution plan. The union says this amounts to taking away workers’ pensions. The refinery says it is trying to remain competitive. “We are going to guarantee you that not one fuel truck is going to leave this facility. From now on we’re not going anywhere,” Scott Doherty, Unifor’s lead negotiator and executive assistant to the president, said. The refinery said in a statement that the blockades were illegal and that it is exploring legal options. “Unifor continues to use illegal blockades as a bullying tactic and has brought in extra people to help them to it,” the statement said. “Today’s actions by Unifor represent yet another violation of the court injunction.” Regina police said they were monitoring the situation. In a statement, police said they were communicating with both sides to keep the peace and advising motorists to avoid the area of Ninth Avenue N., MacDonald Street and Fleet Street. Police said they are monitoring the situation and advising motorists to avoid the area. (Heidi Atter/CBC) Dias estimated that about 500 people were brought in from across Canada to Regina and more are expected. Dias said the union also plans to increase the boycott of Co-ops across Western Canada if a deal isn’t made. “Clearly the only place that this dispute will be resolved will be at the bargaining table,” Dias said. The refinery previously said Unifor hasn’t returned to the bargaining table since September 2019. Workers walk in circles at Gate 7 of the refinery on Monday. (Heidi Atter/CBC) Video showing refinery flare on social media A video showing a large flare at the Co-op Refinery on Saturday has been circulating on social media. The refinery said in a statement that the facility momentarily lost power from SaskPower. As a result, some units came down at the same time. “The flare system did the job it is designed to do in that situation. Power was restored within a minute of the incident, and our highly skilled management team brought the refinery units back online per normal operating procedures,” the refinery said in a statement. “Power failures happen occasionally, and our team is always prepared for an emergent scenario such as this.” Dias said flare-ups happen when replacement workers without proper experience are running a plant. “We’re hoping that the safety concerns are being addressed,” Dias said. “We’re hoping that the facility is just being taken care of properly, from a maintenance point of view. But ultimately we’re not in control of that today. We wish we were but we are not.” Unifor is Canada’s largest private-sector union, with around 310,000 members.About the AuthorHeidi Atter is a journalist working in Regina. She started with CBC Saskatchewan after a successful internship and has a passion for character-driven stories. Heidi has worked as a reporter, web writer, associate producer and show director so far, and has worked in Edmonton, at the Wainwright military base, and in Adazi, Latvia. Story ideas? Email heidi.atter@cbc.ca.With files from Radio-Canada’s Charles Lalande
Unifor president Jerry Dias taken into police custody at Regina’s Co-op Refinery | CBC News
