Co-op Refinery Complex spokesperson Brad DeLorey has confirmed to Global News that local restaurant owner Kalpesh Patel was mistakenly featured in Unifor’s recent “Meet the Scabs” video.
“There is a separate temporary worker with the name Patel on the site, however, they declined to give his legal name, or specify if there were other similarities between the legal names of the two gentlemen,” DeLorey said.
Patel, who is co-owner of Birmingham’s Vodka & Ale House, spoke to the media on Monday, explaining the mix-up.
He said he has never been to Regina’s Co-op refinery and has never heard of Unifor.
“I have nothing to do with them so I want to clear my name. I don’t want to damage my business, name or reputation,” Patel said.
Patel woke up to numerous phone calls Friday morning. He said people called him a scab and asked him why he would take refinery worker’s jobs.
He said he was in shock.
“Everybody was calling me, what are you doing? I didn’t know anything about the video and found it from other people,” Patel said.
“They took it from my Facebook profile … I’m surprised. I don’t know why they took my picture and used it.”
Scott Doherty, the executive assistant to Unifor’s national president, told 980 CJME on Monday that the union is looking into Patel’s claims.
If it was a mistake, Doherty said appropriate action will be taken by Unifor.
The “Meet the Scabs” video is still posted to Twitter and has received over 133,000 views.