The B.C. Government Employees Union (BCGEU) says travellers may experience delays on Arrow Lake ferry routes as the union begins job action.

Approximately 90 members of the BCGEU at WaterBridge Ferries began job action with an overtime ban beginning at noon on Saturday, Sept. 28.

The BCGEU says this latest action comes after the union and WaterBridge Ferries completed essential service negotiations on Friday morning.

Affected ferries include the Upper Arrow Lake Ferry between Shelter Bay and Galena Bay, the Needles Ferry between Fauquier and Needles, the Arrow Park Ferry at the junction of Upper and Lower Arrow Lake and the Adams Lake Ferry between Chase and Sorrento.

The union estimates that about 30 per cent of hours worked on Kootenay inland ferries are overtime hours.

The union plans to provide up-to-date information on sailing cancellation projections for the upcoming three days on their website (ferries.bcgeu.ca), but unforeseen cancellations may still occur.

Ferries operated by Western Pacific Marine are unaffected by the job action, this includes the Kootenay Lake Ferry between Balfour terminal and Kootenay Bay, the Glade Cable Ferry and the Harrop Cable Ferry.

The union says essential service discussions are also ongoing with Western Pacific Marine where it represents 80 employees in various roles such as ferry operators, engineers, deckhands, terminal attendants and masters. 

Earlier this month the union announced its Western Pacific Marine members had voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.