Workers accept agreement in principle at Montreal's Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery: labour minister

The long-standing and, at times, bitter dispute between the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery workers and management seems to have come to an end.

Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet said on Twitter that 83 per cent of the employees accepted an agreement in principle.

"The resumption of activities at the cemetery will make it possible to meet the needs of bereaved families," said Boulet.

The cemetery said in a news release that staff will return to work on July 17, "focusing primarily on cleaning up the grounds and addressing specific operational needs. This work will be carried out diligently over the coming weeks so that the site can once again be safely opened to the families of the deceased and visitors."

The cemetery's office workers remain on strike.

Early this week, Boulet proposed that both sides let an independent arbitrator settle the dispute.

Workers at the cemetery have been on strike since September, and hundreds of bodies have remained in cold storage awaiting burial since that time. Boulet commended the arbitrator in his tweet on Thursday.

Around 500 employees have been on strike, with wages at the heart of the dispute. Groundskeepers have been without a collective agreement since 2018, while office workers haven't had one since 2018.

Management apologized to those who have been unable to visit grave sites or bury loved ones and said staff would gradually contact families to schedule burials.

"We sincerely apologize for the difficult conditions that have impacted many bereaved families in recent months. We will do our utmost to enable them to complete their mourning in the best possible conditions. We’ll also continue to offer cremation and burial services in crypts and mausoleums,” said volunteer director Michel St-Amour.

The new collective agreement will expire at the end of 2027.