Hundreds of people in a small B.C. community spent part of their New Year’s Day protesting a labour dispute that they say is holding them hostage.
The West Kootenay communities of Harrop, Procter and Glade rely on a cable ferry service to move around, but B.C. General Employees’ Union workers have been on strike since Nov. 3.
They’re seeking wage increases, scheduling adjustments and extended benefits for auxiliary workers from employer Western Pacific Marine.
On Friday, a B.C. Labour Relations Board ruling permitted an expansion of the strike that has already limited sailings on the major Kootenay Lake routes.
While the Labour ruling came into effect Monday, the union said the schedule will not change until after New Year’s Day.
In a statement, the company said that if the employer does not come back to the table with a reasonable offer, they will proceed with escalated strike action once they have clarity on the Labour Board’s decision.
Residents are angry about what has transpired.
“As a working mom without childcare, I need to be able to access the ferry 24/7, as do hundreds of people in our community,” Jenna Cooper, a real estate agent with Fair Realty Nelson, told Global News on Wednesday.
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“They need to end this labour dispute immediately and leave our community out of the crossfire.
“We’re being held hostage here.”
Melanie Buerge, manager of PRT Harrop Nursery, told Global News she has 36 active employees but only 11 live on the Harrop side.
“I have got to figure out how to get them across the ferry to get to work,” she said.
Buerge said she needs to get staff and stock across the lake and if she can’t, hundreds of thousands of dollars are at risk.
“My employees are great people,” she said. “They need to work.”
Bev Dosenberger has lived in Harrop Procter for more than 42 years.
“We’ve lived over here for years, we’ve always had ferry service, and right now we have over 600 people on this side of the lake, we have over 300 at Thrums and we have people on the east shore and we’re having our services removed for 80 BCGEU ferry workers who are striking,” she said.
Dosenberger said they don’t have any options other than the ferry.
The employer, Western Pacific Marine, said it will post a new schedule in advance of the Jan. 2 deadline, saying the cable ferries will remain on demand for essential trips, medical appointments and students going to school.
“Western Pacific Marine is assessing all legal options available as we understand the significant impact this decision has,” the company said in a statement.
The employer said it has agreed to the wage demands and continues to work towards a collective agreement.
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