Special mediation window now over in Co-op Refinery lockout

Twenty days of mediation has now wrapped up in a lengthy lockout in Regina.

About 800 workers have been locked out from the Co-op Refinery since Dec. 5.

In February, the provincial government announced special mediator Vince Ready to talk to both sides and bring an end to the lockout. In a Unifor memo obtained by CBC, the union said it looked forward to reading Ready's report.

"We are hopeful that the Special Mediator's report will be framed around our pension proposal that keeps employee benefits whole and still provides signifiant cost savings for the employer now and well into the future," read the memo.

Both sides in the Co-op labour dispute are deeply divided over proposed changes to the workers' pension plan.

The often-acrimonious lockout peaked when workers blockaded most of the entrances to the refinery. In January, Unifor national president Jerry Dias and 13 others were arrested and charged with mischief.

Later, the union was fined $100,000 for disobeying an interrim court injunction, then another $250,000 after it was foundin contempt of court by a Court of Queen's Bench judge.

The mediation is not binding, which means neither side will have to agree to the terms of the report.

At the time, Premier Scott Moe said binding arbitration would not be necessary, and believed a special mediator would be the best course of action.

The Unifor memo said the province would see "an influx of support from across the country" if the dispute was not settled.