Ferry election promises. Where do workers fit?
Ferry service is making election headlines, with parties promising changes to reservations, service standards, funding and shipbuilding.
Here’s what’s been announced:
BC NDP
A pilot reserving 12 per cent of advance booking space for local residents on the Horseshoe Bay–Langdale and Powell River–Comox routes. The party has also committed to having future BC Ferries vessels built in B.C.
BC Conservatives
A BC Ferries Charter setting standards for reliability, on-time performance, capacity, affordability and customer service; high-speed Wi-Fi on major routes and at terminals; and negotiations for more federal ferry funding.
BC Greens
Expanded ferry service and terminal infrastructure, planning for electric ferries, more local vessel construction and maintenance, and federal funding comparable to Atlantic Canada.
For ferry workers, the question is how these plans will support the people who deliver the service. Reliable sailings depend on trained crews, safe workplaces and jobs that workers can afford to stay in. That’s why BCFMWU sent these six questions to the leaders of the BC NDP, BC Conservatives, BC Greens and Centre BC on October 5:
- What will your party do to support fair wages, dependable hours and secure union jobs in B.C.’s ferry and marine sector?
- How will you strengthen protection from violence, bullying and harassment, address unsafe workloads and fatigue, and ensure workers’ concerns lead to action?
- How will you make marine training more accessible and affordable, including fees, travel and living costs? Will you advocate for federal EI support for workers taking marine training?
- What will you do to make housing more affordable in coastal communities so workers can live near their jobs?
- How will you support reliable, affordable ferry service and ferries built in B.C.?
- How will you protect union jobs and strengthen collective bargaining rights?
We’ve asked for responses by October 16. We’ll publish them as received and identify which parties haven’t responded by the deadline.
BCFMWU is non-partisan. We want members to have clear information so they can compare the commitments and make their own informed choices.
