"The BC Coastal Ferry Service has been wrestling with cost pressures for more than 20 years which, if not addressed, could threaten the sustainability of the entire system."

VANCOUVER, Nov. 13, 2013 /CNW/ - BC Ferry & Marine Workers' Union (BCFMWU) President Chris Abbott expressed surprise at the admission on the part of the government that their Coastal Ferry Act model for the former Crown Corporation has been a complete failure.

"On behalf of my members, I wish to express my condolences to the government for its loss of credibility in this matter," said Mr. Abbott at his office in Nanaimo. "Also on behalf of my members I want to put the government on notice that the BCFMWU will have a presence at each and every one of the meetings they have planned in order that factual information is presented to the public and the employees." Mr. Abbott was referring to the previous series of public engagement sessions, costing in excess of $700,000 that left many participants including the Ferry Advisory Committees and the BC Coastal Transportation Society questioning the quality of information given to the government that formed the basis for their supporting data.

"There appears to be an agenda here that is less about getting BC Ferries to a place where it is sustainable than it is about an ideology of privatization, one which only serves to hurt the end user and the employees. It's also an agenda that rarely seems to fully address everyone's concerns about some of the real sources of cost overruns at BC Ferries, including the expenses, bonuses and compensation packages for its management team."

SOURCE: BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union

Media Contact:
Chris Abbott
BCFMWU Provincial President
Tel: [phone].663.7009
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]