Ferry workers’ union pushes back against claims ‘absenteeism’ behind service cancellations
The president of the union representing BC Ferries workers says the company’s comments that employee absenteeism led to a handful of service cancellations over the weekend are a “slap in the face.”
Several Sunday afternoon and evening sailings were cancelled to and from Salt Spring Island, prompting BC Ferries to call in a water taxi to shuttle some travelers off the island and leaving other passengers stuck waiting with their vehicles.
BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said while the company has hired enough workers to return to normal service levels, COVID-19 and other factors are hitting the workforce hard and there is an 11 per cent rate of absenteeism compared to the regular five or six per cent.
