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Ferry still running

Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Aug 26/05) - When a federal panel will decide whether the Liard River ferry is an essential service was still unknown as of Tuesday.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada planned to submit its final reply to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) by Wednesday, PSAC negotiator Dave Thompson said.

The fastest the CIRB has ever subsequently responded to an application for essential service is within hours, according to Tom Panelli, western regional director of the CIRB in Vancouver. However, he wasn't making any such promises regarding a Lafferty ferry decision.

"I don't even want to speculate as to what the board is going to do," he said. "They'll do it when they think it's appropriate to."

The board or panel tasked to review the application could consist of one person or three people, Panelli said. The panel could convene in Vancouver, in the NWT or elsewhere, he noted.

The union's application seeks to have the certified ferry employees deemed essential. If that is successful, the union and Rowe's Construction, who is the employer/contractor, will then be asked to agree on an arbitrator to help resolve their labour dispute.

Alternatively, the CIRB will appoint an arbitrator, according to Panelli.

If the ferry workers, who want improved wages, are not considered to be essential they will strike, Thompson warned.

The union had publicly announced two dates - Aug. 15 and Aug. 23 - that it claimed were the earliest possible days when job action could occur.

The latter date is when the Public Service Alliance of Canada anticipated receiving a response from the CIRB, Thompson explained.

"That date shouldn't have been put out," he admitted. "I wish we hadn't put that in there now because you can't really judge the board or what they're going to do."

The union and Rowe's Construction do not have any further talks scheduled, although Owen Rowe, who runs Rowe's Construction in Fort Simpson, noted that he has extended an invitation for negotiations from Sept. 12-14.

"We'd like to sit down and still negotiate. That's one thing that we'd love to do," Rowe said.

Thompson said he's not available on those dates.