Sylvie Paillard
[email protected]
Employees of the Woodfibre ferry service are facing dim prospects following the last crossing of the Garibaldi II Thursday (March 16).
The Woodfibre mill shutdown means the 20 ferry employees who carry mill workers across the Howe Sound several times a day are also laid-off and, unlike the mill workers, they're receiving nothing for severance pay.
"There is a severance package of 14 weeks and it allows for a working notice," said Marco Iucolino manager Marine Transportation Services with the employer, Harbour Cruises. The ferry workers received notice of termination 14 weeks ago, thus worked through the "severance package."
"It's kind of a tough situation we're just let go with no severance package," said Chief Officer Mate Stephen Acorn. "That's the way it works. They say 'Anything to do with the mill we have no say over.'"
Acorn has been a Harbour Ferries employee for 23 years, and the rest of the workers' durations have spanned 12 to 40 years. Mill workers have been swarmed with industries coming to 樱桃视频to hire them for a number of different industries in and out of town. But the ferry employees' specialization in marine work is not as attractive to potential employers. And unlike mill workers, no one has applied for retraining funding on the ferry workers' behalf.
"Everything that's been offered, including retraining and all that, was for the mill guys. We were totally left out. We just seem to be the forgotten ones here," said Acorn. "Everybody's talking about how hard done by the Woodfibre boys are, that they got severances and they have to move on. But the ferry guys are like 'Hmmm'. A lot of people I talked to just said 'Oh, you're losing your job too?'"
A local employment service representative went to the workers to explain the terms for Employment Insurance (EI) retraining, but the options are very limited, said Acorn.
"The thing with EI is they want you to get back to work, they don't care what you do."
Iucolino said there are no active positions available with Harbour Ferries, but if licensed officers let Harbour Ferries know they're interested, there may be hope.
"We've got all their contact information on file and as opportunities arise that they may be qualified for, we'd be in contact with them," he said. "There isn't much of an opportunity for the unlicensed."
Today (March 17) the Garibaldi II is transported back to its owner, BC Ferries, and it is unknown what the corporation has planned for the vessel.
