People hoping to sail on the Kootenay Lake ferry on Saturday afternoon and evening may want to plan an alternate route.
A post on DriveBC says the ferry between Balfour and Kootenay Bay will be out of service from 2:45 p.m. Saturday until 6:30 a.m. Sunday.
The last sailing from Balfour will be at 1:10 p.m. Saturday, and from Kootenay Bay at 2 p.m.
The operator of the ferry, Western Pacific Marine, says on their website an overtime ban imposed by the union on the ferry is the cause for the service interruption.
The company is currently in a labour dispute with its employees from the BC Government and Service Employees Union.
A spokesperson for the union said members are only working to the limit of the essential service order, which doesn’t require weekend service. Ferry users are asked to visit ferries.bcgeu.ca for updates.
The ferry workers have been in a legal strike position since voting 100 per cent in favour of labour action to press their demands with Western Pacific Marine.
The 80 members of the BC Government and Service Employees Union Local 2009 are pushing for better wages and working conditions, as well as “to address serious issues of training, retention and recruitment of qualified marine professionals,” the union says.
— With files from Nelson Star reporter Tyler Harper.
Related: Union says no further Kootenay Lake ferry shut downs planned for now
