Morale of workers is "on a steady decline," announced the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' Union (BCFMWU) Feb. 15.
The union also announced a new three-year collective-bargaining agreement Feb. 22, replacing their previous contract that was set to expire in October.
"Our latest ratification vote was kind of an indication that people are not comfortable or happy with the way things are going," said BCFMWU spokesperson Brett Joyce. "We're not very happy with the state of affairs at B.C. Ferries."
That said, the union is optimistic that changes in management will lead to positive developments in the morale of its workers.
Joyce said safety concerns and general worker conditions highlight the worries put forward by the union on the eve of its new agreement with B.C. Ferries.
A Jan. 19 report by former B.C. Auditor General George Morfitt indicated that the company was on its way to implementing almost all of the 41 recommendations from a 2007 safety audit.
Joyce said the union is not looking to declare B.C. Ferries as unsafe.
"But our members see safety in a different light than the company does. We have some concerns, and they have some concerns, that safety is not going to be as high a priority as we would hope it to be," he said.
As far as specifics, Joyce said he could not elaborate on what particular areas of safety and general working conditions the union had voiced their concern about.
But, said Joyce, "the company's insistence on continuing with exclusions will result in less effective and lower certified managers in high ranking shipboard positions."
The union does, however, recognize the difficult financial situation B.C. Ferries faces going forward, with rising fuel costs, sailings with low usage rates and calls for a price cap on fares by ferry commissioner Gordon Macatee.
"I think that's one of the key reasons morale is down. The company is in a tough financial position, they're doing everything they can from a company perspective to deal with that," he said. "The brunt of that change, that impact, is felt by the employees. I'm not saying it in a malicious way, but B.C. Ferries has to do something."
