Co-op refinery to lay off more than 50 employees over next 6 months

More than 50 people are being laid off at the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC).

In a media release Monday, the refinery said it had informed Unifor 594 — the union representing workers at the facility — that it would be proceeding “with the reduction of its in-scope workforce.”

The company first said in May that it would be decreasing the number of permanent employees at the facility in Regina’s north end.

The company said in the release it expected to lay off 54 people over the next six months from a workforce that currently numbers around 1,000. The union says on its Twitter feed it represents 730 people at the refinery.

Layoffs are to be based on seniority and qualifications.

“This is a difficult decision to reduce our workforce as many good people and their families will be impacted,” Gil Le Dressay, the CRC’s vice-president of refinery operations, said in the release.

“We have tried to minimize the number of people affected by this workforce reduction. However, our business is not immune from the challenges our industry is facing. We must make changes to ensure the long-term sustainability of our Refinery and to protect as many jobs as we can in the future.”

The company said the decision was made after it had taken the steps needed to ensure any reduction in the workforce wouldn’t have an impact on the safety and reliability of the refinery.

“Ultimately, the need for a workforce reduction is largely the result of operational efficiencies realized over the past number of years as the Company prepares to transition to the low-carbon economy,” the facility’s statement said.

The refinery and its employees were embroiled in a bitter, 196-day labour dispute that ended June 22, 2020 when the union ratified the collective bargaining agreement.