Thousands stranded as B.C. Ferries strike continues

VICTORIA (Dec. 12, 2003) — Representatives for B.C. Ferries and the employees’ union resumed negotiations again yesterday, just as the company began issuing a cease-and-desist order to union officials.

So far, the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union has not given any indication it would comply with the order, which was passed by the government last week, and recently approved by the B.C. Labour Relations Board. It states the union must obey government legislation that orders an 80-day cooling off period of strike action.

Union lawyer Michael Walton told Canadian Press the union acknowledges the ruling but won’t say if workers would walk away from picket lines. The union faces hefty fines or possibly even jail time if doesn’t comply with the legislation.

Thousands who rely on the ferry service have been coping with delays and cancellations of B.C. ferry routes since the union hit the picket lines early Monday morning. Ferry terminals from the mainland and the Gulf Islands have been jammed with vehicle, passenger, and idle trucks — including those with reservations or assured loading, as those services have been suspended.

The B.C. Labour Relations Board set “essential service levels” in hopes of maintaining ferry sailings between 30 and 70 per cent of normal operations. Despite the priority ratings — which places commercial vehicles just behind medical and emergency transportation and school buses — the terminals were still described as “chaotic.”

Yesterday, the two sides met with a mediator in separate rooms. There was no word if the two sides inched any closer to a settlement.

— From Canadian Press