Ferry workers have called a strike for this morning, over what union officers described as long-standing grievances with the Ministry of Transport over maintenance issues.

A Ministry spokesman said talks were still underway late yesterday between the Bermuda Industrial Union and Ministry officials.

The dispute boiled from an alleged stonewalling by management of workers’ concerns at the poor condition of the fleet.

According to union division head Sinclair Simmons, more than half of the Island’s ferries are currently “inoperable”. Going back to the end of 2012, maintenance programmes have “ceased”, he said.

“We’ve also worked the whole year with no overtime,” Mr Simmons added.

The remarks came at yesterday’s BIU press conference after the ferry service was interrupted for a meeting between BIU members and Transport officials.

That meeting never took place. Marine and Ports staff returned to work at 4pm yesterday to accommodate commuters — but BIU head Chris Furbert said that “as of tomorrow, there will be no ferries”.

Asked about prior notice for the strike, Mr Furbert responded: “Let me just say this — I think three years is enough notice. Some people might think I’m being facetious but every year we have this problem.

“When it comes to getting the fleet up for the coming season, the workers have to do backflips.”

Grievances were outlined in a December 19 letter from Mr Simmons to Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell, Mr Furbert said, but in spite of three subsequent meetings with management “very little progress was made”.

Yesterday’s meeting had to be called off due to a personal problem reported by Permanent Secretary Francis Richardson — but Mr Furbert said workers had been told simply that the meeting had been called off.

“No reason was given,” he said, using the incident as an illustration of worker’s grievances. “It’s about relaying information.”

Despite Government bringing in the overseas reserve ferry Millennium, Mr Furbert said, necessary repairs hadn’t been carried out while that extra vessel was in operation.

According to Mr Simmons, the Millennium remains on the Island with two overseas staff being quartered in an apartment owned by the West End Development Corporation.

Mr Furbert said meetings with the Permanent Secretary were hoped to take place today with updates on both the Millennium and the status of the tug boat Powerful.

Issues cited in the December letter to Mr Crockwell include alleged “mismanagement” leading to a decline in service standards.

The top five posts in the Department of Marine and Ports — director, assistant director, dockyard superintendent, marine service officer and supervisor of engineering — were said to be filled by “persons acting”. Scott Simmons, for example, is currently acting director.

“As a result of this, for the past five years or so, the service has been rapidly declining as it relates to the standard of service and the financial position the department has suffered through mismanagement,” the letter added.

Repairs to the Powerful, said to be first estimated as costing $300,000, allegedly ran to $1.2 million — but the vessel is still out of service.

BIU officials said they had also received no reply to questions on the cost of running the Millennium — or on what repairs had been carried out while the extra ferry was being used.

The charter ferry was brought to the Island last year.

There was no indication last night as to how long today’s strike would last — but it was implied that the ferry service would resume once workers had a satisfactory meeting with management.

Mr Furbert added that Department of Parks workers also had a litany of grievances that needed to be addressed — and were also “close to downing tools”.