A Regina judge has ruled Unifor members picketing outside the Co-Op refinery will have to abide by rules as they deal with traffic coming in and out of the facility.

Justice Janet McMurtry heard from both Unifor and Federated Co-Op this week before deciding “the restriction of access to or exit from the said premises, shall only last as long as necessary to provide information, to a maximum of 10 minutes, or until the recipient of the information indicates a desire to proceed, whichever comes first.”

Shortly after receiving strike notice from Unifor,  Federated Co-Op served a 48-hour lockout notice on December 5 affecting an estimated 700 workers.

The situation has been nasty at times with lengthy lineups of trucks waiting to get into the refinery and the union calling for a boycott of Co-Op stores across Western Canada.

Pension is the main issue.

It is not known when the two sides will get back to the bargaining table.