The conflict persists at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery despite pressure from the Legault government. A global offer from management has just been refused by the two unions, who denounce a proposal that is still largely “insufficient”.
In a press release published on Tuesday, the Notre-Dame parish factory maintains that it “wants to put an end to the labor dispute” quickly. Management claims to have met with representatives of the unions of its operations and office employees on June 2, in the presence of the conciliator, “in order to present them with a global settlement offer which was refused”.
It’s that the offer is not enough, says the president of the Cemetery Workers’ Union, Patrick Chartrand. “The employment floor, which is the big point of the negotiations, has not moved,” he illustrates, recalling that management wants to set the maximum number of regular employees at 47, which was until there of 62.
“We made a counter-proposal which involved restoring this floor over five years, to arrive at a figure at the end of the contract which would even be slightly lower than our old figure of 62. We were giving the employer some play, but he refused to discuss it”, also advances the union leader.
On the salary side, management says it is offering 20% increases to its employees over five years, from $59,600 in 2018 to $83,000 in 2027 for regular employees. “The requests for a salary increase from the cemetery unions exceed 30%, which represents double that provided for in the agreement concluded with the union of employees of the Basilica of Notre-Dame on May 30, 2023”, insists the Factory.
“The unions know that the cemetery’s room for maneuver is extremely limited in the current deficit context and that we want to restore a good working climate,” adds the administration. Patrick Chartrand, he retorts that the salary offer “still does not have retroactivity” and therefore implies a “salary freeze at the level of past years”.
A vote claimed
Nevertheless, the cemetery’s management is asking the two unions to present its global settlement offer to their members “and to hold a vote”. A meeting will be held on Wednesday to present the offer to the members, but from the outset, the union warns “that it will not hold a vote”. “It is clearly below the mandate we have from our members. We won’t waste time getting them voted on,” concludes Mr. Chartrand.
In short, the conflict is still likely to persist. In mid-May, the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, raised his voice in this case, judging that the conflict has been going on “for too long”. That day, long lines had been seen in front of the cemetery, which had exceptionally opened its doors for Mother’s Day.
Users who lined up outside the cemetery at the start of the day also called for government assistance to put an end to the labor dispute. “Mr. Legault, we ask you to put an end to this strike. Families are suffering”, “Burials are a human right”, could be read on signs held by citizens, who expressed their dissatisfaction on the spot.
Cemetery workers have been without a contract since December 2018. Cemetery office workers have been on strike since last September, and field workers since January.