For two months, Michael Musacchio can no longer see his daughter. Or rather, the little piece of land where she rests. The Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery has been inaccessible to the majority of the general public since January due to a protracted labor dispute. Dozens of people gathered, Saturday noon, to demand the opening of the doors of the site.
“We consider that this is unacceptable”, denounces the president of the Syndicate of workers of the cemetery, Patrick Chartrand. “The employer does not hesitate to say that the closure of the premises is the fault of our strike. But for us, the site should be open, he continues. It is a place of burial, of meditation, and the entrance is systematically blocked to customers under the pretext that we are on strike. »
The union of office employees of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery, represented by the CSN and comprising about fifteen members, began a strike in September after five years of fruitless negotiations with its employer to renew its contract. of work. The union representing the 90 employees assigned to the maintenance of the premises did the same in January, after four years without a contract of employment, resulting in the complete closure of the premises.
Mr. Chartrand says he understands that there are security issues in letting customers enter, particularly due to snow accumulations in certain places, but he believes that this should not justify a complete closure of the site. ” [Les gardiens de sécurité] should accompany the families inside the cemetery and show them where it is not accessible. »
The atmosphere of the demonstration was both festive, in particular due to the aromas of hot dogs grilled on a large barbecue and pop music resounding at full volume in a loudspeaker, but also tinged with anger. Several speakers from the trade union milieu followed one another to denounce the employer of the strikers, the Fabrique of the parish of Notre-Dame de Montréal.
But for Michael Musacchio, there is no question of choosing one side or the other. All he wants is for the cemetery to reopen as soon as possible so he can see his daughter’s grave again. “The strike should not affect families,” he denounces. We should not be held hostage. He used to pay his respects at his daughter’s grave once a week since her death nearly two years ago.
“If they don’t open for Easter, I’m going to jump over the fence,” he asserts with determination. “If there’s too much snow, I’ll shovel it. »
Same despair at Ron Tondino, who can no longer visit the grave of his brother, who died last summer. “My other brother and I came every week with our coffee and our chair,” he says with emotion. “Now my brother and I come every Wednesday to the Camilien-Houde route. We have our coffee. They don’t see their brother’s grave, but they know it’s not too far.
The salary at the heart of the conflict
The demands of the unions mainly concern wages. “We want a decent salary increase,” said the president of the Cemetery Office Employees Union, Éric Dufault. “The employer is asking for a step back everywhere: paying more in insurance, reducing regular employees, wage freeze over five and four years…” For the rest of the negotiations, he declares that he is “not at all” optimistic.
In an undated press release published on the Notre-Dame Parish Factory website, the organization says that in January, the cemetery submitted an “honest and reasonable” salary increase offer to the unions. “Compensation would represent, with these salary increases, an hourly rate of nearly $35, which represents a total compensation of $52 per hour for each regular employee. »
Currently, the cemetery only accommodates “bereaved families who have an appointment for a mausoleum burial or cremation service. » These services are chargeable. The site of the Notre-Dame parish factory also indicates that “no burial in the field is currently possible. »