British Columbia's highest court says the suspensions of two navigational officers who had control of the BC Ferry Queen of the North before it hit an island and sank two years ago will stand.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has refused to overturn the suspensions.
The Labour Relations Board and an arbitrator ruled BC Ferry Services had the right to suspend the men for not giving the whole story about what happened on the bridge the night the ferry sank.
The BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union petitioned the court to overturn the rulings.
The union argued Karl Lilgert and Kevin Hilton had the right to refuse to answer questions unless the company held the answers in confidence until the conclusion of the criminal investigation.
But the judge ruled full public disclosure of the incident outweighed the interests of the two employees.
Two passengers, Shirley Rosette and Gerald Foisy, went down with the ship when it sank in March 2006. Their bodies were never found.
Hilton, Lilgert and quartermaster Karen Bricker were all eventually fired. The Marine Workers' Union is also contesting their dismissals.
