Co-op Refinery workers, members of Unifor Local 594, voted 97.3 percent in favour of strike action on Monday night.

Now, the Federated Co-operatives Limited refinery in Regina has issued a lockout notice to its union workforce that is to go into effect Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Unifor Local 5-9-4 represents more than 700 workers at the facility.

The union says it’s a response to the company’s’ attack on their pension. Negotiator Scott Doherty says, “The union is willing to make changes to pension liabilities but will not budget on pension security for every worker.” The local represents 800 members over 21 different job classifications at the refinery.

Local President Kevin Bittman says, “This level of greed and disrespect from a so-called co-operative absolutely cannot go unchallenged. The union says the workers will stay on the job while the bargaining team contemplates next steps.