Families are calling on politicians to step in and help bring the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery labour dispute to an end.
They say they are caught in the middle and their right to bury and visit their loved ones has been denied for too long, adding that the months-long conflict is nothing short of cruel.
“I don’t understand why the government is not representing us, we are the grieving families, we’re caught in the middle of this. We don’t care what the negotiations are, this should be an essential service,” said Evanthia Karassavidis, who has been waiting for four months to bury her father.
“It’s inhumane, the fact that my father and many others are stored in cold storage while they’re negotiating. Why, why is this happening?”
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges office workers have been on strike since last January, joining blue collar workers who started striking last Fall.
They want increased job security and better working conditions.
Meanwhile, in-ground burials have been halted and the cemetery is closed. Branches from the recent ice storm still cover graves and the grounds remain unkept and off limits.
Workers say they feel for the families caught in the middle. They blame the employer, saying they’ve reached an impasse.
“As far as we know, they don’t care about client service,” said Karolyn Dubé, a cemetery worker. “It’s the opposite of what they say in their message, you know ‘we want to uphold all the promises made to the families’. It’s not true. Because if they did they would try to come to the negotiating table and try to come to an agreement with us.”
Back in 2007, premier Jean Charest issued an ultimatum to end a similar labour dispute at the cemetery, saying the Quebec government would intervene to end it. The parties came to an agreement shortly after.
Families say it’s time for premier François Legault or Mayor Valérie Plante to do the same. But Quebec’s labour minister, Jean Boulet said the government doesn’t envision bringing work-to-rule legislation to solve the matter.
“No, we are in the private sector but of course there are duties that have to be respected and it’s according to our laws and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Boulet said.
Boulet encourages both parties to work with the conciliator he appointed several months ago “diligently and in good faith,” adding the matter is important to him.
“We need a settlement and agreement in principle as quickly as possible. We have to terminate this conflict for the benefit of all the people affected,” the minister said.
The association representing families, L’Association pour la défense des droits des défunts et des familles du Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges (ADDDF) “implores” the premier to also work on a long term solution that would forbid interrupting cremation and burial services as a pressure tactic during labour conflicts in Québec.
A spokesperson for the cemetery said in an email that it is working with the conciliator to reach an agreement as quickly as possible.
“We are and want to remain an employer of choice,” the statement reads, explaining that operation employees have 24 years of seniority.
Remuneration, however, remains a sticking point.
“We must also be aware that the only income available to pay for the remuneration of Cemetery employees comes from the families of the deceased and the bereaved,” said spokesperson Daniel Granger.
“The current terms and conditions and our proposals are in line with this reality.”
Granger also explained that even though cleanup operations following the ice storm began on April 6, damage was extensive.
“At least 75% of all trees in the Cemetery have suffered ice damage and nearly 100 mature trees will have to be cut down for safety reasons,” Granger said.
“Many of the Cemetery’s 33 kilometres of roads are still blocked by trees and branches that are a significant danger to visitors.”
The site will reopen as soon as the site is secured.
“We are deeply saddened by this situation.”
Granger pointed out, however, that it continues to welcome, by appointment, families requiring cremation or mausoleum services — services which 85 per cent of families opt for.
The office of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante also weighed in on the situation and called for a swift resolution.
“The longer the situation drags on, the more trying it becomes,” said Catherine Cadotte, a spokesperson for Plante.
Cadotte added that grieving is already difficult enough without the added burden of not being able to bury a loved one.
“In the interest of these families, things must return to normal as fast as possible.”
Meanwhile families waiting to bury and visit gravesites of their loved ones want to stop being held hostage by the labour dispute.
— With files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier
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