Instead of carrying on with their usual work day, employees at the Okotoks Burnco can currently be found out front holding picket signs.

After Burnco delivered a 72-hour lockout notice to 100 employees from five different locations, the union responded by serving notice of a strike.

The lockout came less than a week before the union was set to vote on an offer from Burnco, as the two sides are in the middle of a collective bargaining agreement.

Shop Steward John Lewin says a strike was really their only course of action.

"The company decided to lock us out before we had a chance to even view the contract and vote on it," he says. "So, in order to protect our rights, we had to go on strike in order to maintain our jobs."

Lewin says there's not much the union can do for the next few days.

"We're going to vote on this contract on Thursday, the outcome is to be seen," he says. "Hopefully it can all be rectified and we can get back to work soon. We're locked out, so we have nothing else to do but stand here and hold our signs."

Lewin says the strike is about seniority, and not the wage.

"It's very frustrating because it's not about the money," he says. "It's about protecting our rights, protecting our seniority rights. We love our jobs, we'd sooner be out here doing our work instead of standing here holding signs."

The lockouts and strikes are also in effect at two plants in Calgary, one in Airdrie and one in Cochrane.