Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Sep 09/05) - The waiting game continues this week for workers on the Liard River ferry who are embroiled in a two-month labour dispute with their employer.

The union representing the six crewmen, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, applied five weeks ago to have the ferry deemed an essential service by the federal government - a move that could lead to binding arbitration with operator Rowe's Construction.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the union was still waiting for a decision from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.

"We are really disappointed. From our perspective, this is an easy decision to reach," said union regional vice-president Jean-Francois Des Lauriers.

"We feel the board has been under-resourced for years, so the (delay) is not surprising."

Board spokesperson Tom Panelli said Tuesday rulings often take several weeks.

"It is not uncommon for decisions to take two or three years, but that is not usually the case for essential service (rulings)," he said.

While the delay is frustrating for union representatives, it means the union members will likely remain on the job.

The ferry links Fort Simpson and Wrigley with the rest of the Northwest Territories.

Meanwhile, it has been several weeks since the union and the company last sat down at the bargaining table.

They have a tentative session scheduled for next week, though that date has not been confirmed, said Owen Rowe, who manages company operations in Fort Simpson.

Rowe said the company was prepared to negotiate and would prefer to settle the dispute without an arbitrator.

"When you sit down and talk face-to-face, you get more done," said Rowe.

Like Rowe, Des Lauriers said the union had a standing offer to meet.