One of the unions representing workers at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal said a tentative deal to end a months-long strike has fallen through.
The strike over working conditions at Canada's largest cemetery has put grieving families in the middle of the ongoing dispute, as approximately 300 bodies lay waiting in cold storage as in-ground burials have been postponed.
Union and management were to formally agree on a proposed deal reached earlier this month, but in a news release from the CSN union on Thursday, an official said members rejected the recommendations from a Ministry of Labour conciliator for a return-to-work protocol.
The release said members felt the recommendations were "too weak" and the employer's proposals were "unacceptable."
"What the members saw in the presentations was that the employer wanted to set us back virtually across the board," said Patrick Chartrand, president of the Cemetery Maintenance Employees' Union.
"What really gets to us in the bosses' attitude is the lack of recognition of our work they have shown by proposing such a disappointing return-to-work protocol. It's a lack of respect. We were losing out on various established gains. I have confidence in our members; they made the right decision."
The cemetery's management said both unions involved had agreed on June 15 to "strongly recommend" the proposal agreement to their members, which included wage increases of 23 per cent until 2027, among other things. According to the cemetery, the unions had also agreed to halt pressure tactics, which it claims included "repeated picketing in front of the homes of several volunteer administrators."
"In the presence of the chief mediator/conciliator, you signed the settlement recommendation. Today is June 29. You can and must resolve this conflict, which has gone on for too long, by honouring your commitments," wrote Michel St-Amour, Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame volunteer administrator, in a press release.
"We’ve gone above and beyond to make you the best possible offers. We’ve accepted the mediator/conciliator's settlement recommendation and will honour our commitment. Now, we need to finalize the agreements and resume cemetery activities as soon as possible to respect the bereaved families and those of the deceased."
More than 500 employees, including office workers and maintenance staff, are on strike, which started Sept. 20, 2022 with the office workers. Other groups of employees later joined the job action.
Groundskeepers have been without a collective agreement since 2018, while office workers haven't had a contract since 2017.
There were optimistic signs that a deal would be reached last week, which gave families some hope that the labour dispute would finally come to an end.
The cemetery said it must remain closed during the strike, but that cremation and burial services in crypts and mausoleums are ongoing.
"We regret the impact of these decisions on bereaved families and the families of the deceased," management said Thursday. "As requested by the Minister of Labour, this labour dispute must end as soon as possible."
