NELSON, B.C – Residents from communities that risk being heavily impacted by a possible ferry strike will appear in front of the Labour Relations Board on Wednesday.
The move is part of the operator Kootenay Lake Ferries attempt to persuade the Labour Relations Board to deem the ferry service on the Kootenay Lake an essential service.
The background is the threat of a strike that has been looming since early August.
Roughly 80 members from the BC Government and Service Employees could go on strike after the union passed a strike vote over contract disagreements earlier this month.
The disagreements have been ongoing since the previous five year contract ran out this spring.
A strike could see several ferry lines, such as the Harrop-Procter and Glade ferries run at reduced capacity and the Kootenay Lake Ferry completely out of service.
They employ approximately 20 people.
Western Pacific Marine CEO Graham Clarke says service reductions for those communities could pose health risks to residents dependent on receiving medical care and other services as they lack road access.
Wednesdays hearing will come down to how many percent service is deemed essential.
“It should be nothing less than 100 percent. I don’t think it is foreseeable to anticipate when there may be an emergency. And if there is an emergency call it is going to take time, and time is often an important component in saving someones life”, Clarke told My Nelson Now.
After the hearing, the union can declare a strike with 72 hour notice.
According to the Ministry of Transportation the monthly average of vehicles using the Harrop-Proctor ferry crossing is 27,500 in the summer. For the Glade ferry, the monthly average of vehicles is approximately 14,000 vehicles, also during the summer.
Reached by MyNelsonNow.com, the BCEU said they have nothing to add before the hearing has been completed.