Rip up Petro Canada cards and stay away until Montreal refinery dispute is settled
Ottawa (7 Nov. 2008) - The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has joined a national boycott of Petro-Canada to support employees of the company's Montreal refinery. The workers have been locked out by the company since November 2007.
NUPGE president James Clancy has sent a letter of support to Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), the union representing the workers.
"The actions of the employer in this dispute are nothing short of shocking," Clancy writes. "As the lock-out approaches the one-year anniversary, the actions of Petro-Canada towards these workers become even more unconscionable."
Clancy says the decision of the workers to soundly reject the latest company offer "speaks volumes" about their strength and determination and the issues involved.
"It is becoming increasingly obvious that Petro-Canada is attempting to break the union. This is something that none of us in the labour movement can allow to happen. I want to assure you that I will take steps to inform our membership of the boycott," Clancy writes.
The Canadian Labour Congress has asked union members across the country to avoid buying Petro-Canada gas and heating oil ? where alternatives exist ? until the dispute is settled. When the boycott was announced last week, the CLC called on customers "to rip up their Petro-Canada cards" and stop doing business with the company where possible until "every locked-out (union) member is back on the job!."
The CLC represents 3.2 million workers across Canada - 33% of the Canadian workforce. These members include NUPGE's 340,000 members across the country. NUPGE
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