Unifor has filed two complaints with the Ontario Labour Relations Board over a value-added wood company closure near Fort Frances.
Gingrich Woodcraft in Devlin announced it would be closing its furniture company on Thursday, a week after its workers voted 69 per cent to form a union.
Owner Leon Gingrich cited biblical values as the reason the business closed after 18 years of operation.
Unifor filed Unfair Labour Practice and Unlawful Lockout complaints on Friday.
Unifor national representative Stephen Boon said it's not up to an individual's religious beliefs to violate labour laws.
"You've thrown 25 employees out of work and left their families in a precarious situation in terms of earnings and making mortgage payments. You've contravened the constitution, the Labour Relations Act, you've left suppliers in a precarious situation because orders are in transit, orders are half-complete. If this isn't aggresiveness, I don't know what is.
"To take the position that you want a peaceful relationship between men, the employer's actions are far from that."
Boon pointed out Gingrich participated in the union voting process at every step along the way. He accused the owner of intimidating workers under the guise of religious beliefs because Gingrich didn't get the union vote result that he wanted.
"It's not as if we're being aggressive here. We haven't even issued demands," he said.
"Our position with the employer was, we wanted to sit down with him in a cooperative manner to find a fair agreement we can both work with to benefit the employer and the employees. The employer didn't give us the time to sit down in the same room to find out what teh demands of the workforce are. It's a little bit hypocritical.
"It was only after they lost the vote that they've found this new interpretation."
Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell said she's "deeply concerned," offering her office's assistance to the workers and families who lost their jobs.
Even while she lamented the economic hit the rural community of Devlin will suffer, she insisted labour rights must be upheld.
"Workers have the right to organize and join a union without facing repercussions from their employer," she said.
"That's a basic right of employees in this province. Suddenly closing up shop and throwing your employees out of work certainly counts as a repercussion by any standard."
