The Co-op refinery in Regina. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)

By CJME News Staff

Unifor found in contempt, fined $100K

Jan 22, 2020 | 1:32 PM

Unifor has been found in contempt of a court injunction issued in connection with the labour dispute at the Co-op refinery.

A Court of Queen’s Bench judgment issued Wednesday said the union “intentionally and deliberately disobeyed the order” that had been issued in mid-December. After ruling the union was in contempt, the justice fined Unifor $100,000.

In a statement to the media, the Co-op Refinery Complex said it was pleased with the ruling.

“This decision is reassuring as it demonstrates that our legal system works and that the rule of law will be upheld when individuals or organizations choose to subvert it,” the statement said.

“Unifor continues to engage in illegal activity (Wednesday), but we hope that the fine and penalty levied against Unifor by the court (Wednesday), together with the court’s statement of ‘the need to follow court orders, particularly those intended to bring some level of stability to a tense labour dispute,’ will serve to deter future illegal activity going forward.”

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The union has been blockading the refinery since Monday. That action followed blockades around Co-op cardlocks and stores in Regina and Weyburn.

On Dec. 18, Justice Janet McMurtry issued a temporary order that limited the amount of time picketers could hold up truckers at the refinery. Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) then went to court claiming the union had violated the order.