Kootenay Lake's ferry crossing will be shut down by striking workers with labour negotiations stalled.
The B.C. General Employees' Union announced that starting Sunday at noon, the ferries running between Balfour and Kootenay Bay north of Nelson would be reduced to just three weekday sailings for essential travel only. Emergency services will continue to have access to the ferry.
The union says no weekend sailings will occur. The union also represents workers on the Harrop and Glade cable ferries, but those routes are essential services and will not be impacted.
Talks between the union and Western Pacific Marine, which has 80 employees working the contested routes, have dragged on for months with several threats of strike but no action until now.
The BCGEU reached a tentative agreement on Oct. 26 with Water Bridge Ferries, which operates ferries in the Slocan Valley and near Kamloops, but said in a statement that Western Pacific Marine's offer fails to match that deal.
“Ferry workers are calling for a fair and equitable deal, comparable wage increases, necessary scheduling adjustments, extended benefits for auxiliary workers, and crucial training support,” said BCGEU treasurer Maria Bennett.
“Western Pacific Marine has the means to meet these demands, and workers are unified in their stance.”
In a statement of its own, Western Pacific Marine said it had agreed with the union's proposed wage percentage increase over a three-year term as well as other benefits.
“We are disappointed that despite agreeing to the union proposals for wage increases and additional compensation to our workers, we still cannot reach a new collective agreement," said Western Pacific Marine's general manager Odaii Sirri.
"We believe Western Pacific Marine’s proposal to be more than fair, and we look forward to ongoing talks with the BCGEU to reach an agreement our employees will be happy with."
