Barricades are illegal, Unifor found in contempt of court

February 12, 2020

The Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) realizes the importance of Justice Robertson’s decision today and is pleased that the court has found Unifor to be in Contempt of Court.

Courts in both Saskatchewan and Alberta have now consistently found that Unifor broke the law by illegally blockading the CRC and FCL’s Carseland Terminal. With this ruling in Regina today, we hope that Unifor will obey the law and abide by the decision of the court. 

Earlier today, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the appointment of a special mediator to oversee negotiations between the CRC and Unifor 594. While this is a positive step in the process, we agree with Premier Moe’s assertion that special mediation is conditional upon Unifor complying with the terms of Justice McMurtry’s permanent court order. 

The CRC has been encouraged in recent days as Unifor has begun removing blockades from FCL sites. The CRC anticipates that today’s ruling will provide Unifor with additional incentive to completely remove all illegal blockades.