The Canadian Labour Congress is urging its members to boycott Petro-Canada service stations all across the country in an attempt to end a year-long lockout of 260 unionized workers at a Montreal refinery.

"This has got nothing to do with money, it's got to do with philosophy," CLC head Ken Georgetti told the Canadian Press as he launched the boycott Tuesday at the national convention of the Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union of Canada.

He accused Petro-Canada of trying to break the union local in Montreal. "They don't like the union and they're gonna make a stand here with the smallest group they can pick," Georgetti said.

But Petro-Canada spokesman Jon Hamilton insists the company's objective from the outset has been to reach a negotiated settlement with the union local in Montreal.

"We were able to negotiate and settle with all other union locals last year and unfortunately this one has dragged on," he said from Calgary. Hamilton rejects the accusation that Petro-Canada is trying to break the union.

"To suggest that this is anything more than extensive negotiations between the union local and the company stretches the boundaries of common sense." Georgetti, meanwhile, said Petro-Canada is making so much money it should not be demanding concessions from its workers.

The Calgary-based oil company last week reported a third-quarter profit of $1.25 billion, up 61 per cent from a year earlier.

Workers everywhere deserve same treatment: Union

Georgetti wants all union members to follow the example of Canadian Labour Congress staff and stop using their Petro-Canada credit cards.

Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union, says the call for a boycott comes after the company's last offer was rejected.

He also claims the lockout has hurt Petro-Canada sales in Quebec where he says gasoline sales are down 20 per cent.

"Why would you pick a fight with workers in Montreal and give the same settlement to English workers in another province," Coles said. "That smells."

He noted that Petro-Canada has refused to negotiate the same type of contract it negotiated at its operations in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

Coles also defends the decision to stage a boycott of service stations operated by a big oil company. He maintains that the cross-country boycott will be effective if it is managed properly.

"Well, I can tell you, the last boycott that I was personally involved in was during the Gainers strike and we were so effective that we killed the brand," Coles said. "You can no longer buy any Gainers products."

The use of strikebreakers during a 1986 strike at Gainers Foods in Edmonton turned the public against owner Peter Pocklington.

Workers stage noisy lunch protest at Montreal refinery

Coles made his comments as several hundred union members attending the national convention staged a noon-hour march on the Montreal refinery Tuesday.

Riot police in vans were called in when the buses carrying the unionists arrived, but they stayed several blocks away from the noisy, but orderly protest.

A small group of local workers threw large planks of wood at a Petro-Canada sign outside the refinery as burly security guards stood guard at the gates.

There were no arrests. Petro-Canada's Hamilton adds that the company has maintained safe and reliable operations at the refinery with a staff of about 130.