Even after losing his trucking job in the oilfield, Andrew Bykowsky says his protest against wage cuts at Canadian Natural Resources Limited is not over.
The lease operator led a convoy of semi-trucks from his home in Elk Point to the CNRL office in Lloydminster Wednesday morning to demand higher wages for fluid and oil haulers in the oilfield.
Bykowsky, 32, said operators like him are getting desperate.
‘No margin left’
“We have no margin left. Just to pay our normal bills is a huge stress for us,” Bykowsky said in an interview Friday with CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM.
Bykowsky said fluid hauling contractors are struggling under the weight of the mounting cost of living, fuel prices and repairs.
A 30-per-cent cut in compensation rates undertaken in 2014 has never been reversed, even after the industry began to recover from the big downturn in oil prices, he said.
Many operators have gone bankrupt. When their semi-trucks break down, they can’t afford to get them back on the road.
“These guys aren’t making it,” he said. “Every day, more and more guys are going bankrupt, going broke, and we’ve all been waiting for a miracle but nothing has been happening.”
Bykowsky said he worked 16-hour days but still struggled to make ends meet. He recently had to take out a loan to help pay down years of mounting credit card debt.
“We get paid based on how many loads we haul, it’s not like we’re on a salary,” he said. “In order to make it with the rates the way they’re set, we have to work astronomical hours just to be able to survive and you pray to not have a breakdown.”
‘CNRL slit all of our throats’
The truckers protesting on Wednesday were not warmly received, said Bykowsky. The company closed its office for the day in advance of the protest and barricaded its parking lot.
In an emailed statement sent to CBC News, CNRL spokesperson Julie Woo said the company has ongoing meetings with their truck servicing firms. They encourage independent contractors to work with their employers to voice their concerns, she added.
But “market access is the key issue that is impacting everyone in Canada’s oil and gas sector,” the statement said.
“Ultimately, this means significantly fewer jobs for Canadians, particularly in heavy oil producing areas,” reads the statement. “Market access is clearly affecting jobs and local businesses, as we are seeing with the response from truckers.
“Canadian Natural recognizes and appreciates that our service providers have shared these significant challenges along with us.”
Bykowsky began organizing the protest after posting a video online which called for a strike among operators.The video rant has amassed more than 90,000 views.
“Back in 2014, CNRL slit all of our throats,” he said in the video posted to Facebook on July 20.
“All of us truckers have to unite … every single one of us has to shut down. The only way that our rates are going to come back up is if CNRL’s fluid stops moving.”
Bykowsky said the video cost him his job. He was fired over the phone by a CNRL superintendent on Monday for filming while driving, he said.
Even so, Bykowsky insisted he has no regrets. He expected his decision to speak out might result in termination, but said he felt he had no choice but to speak out. After getting fired, he carried on with Wednesday’s protest and is planning to stage further demonstrations.
“Oil companies are making millions off of our backs,” he said. “We’re asking them to give us back what they took.”