Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery will reopen, union and management to meet next week – Montreal | 24CA News
The Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery in Montreal will reopen for members of the family of the deceased on March 31.
The cemetery, which has been coping with a strike by operations and upkeep staff, closed its gates in mid-January.
Michael Musacchio has visited his daughter’s grave on the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery each weekend since her loss of life in 2021. He and his household additionally go to for each vacation or big day, to embellish her tombstone – however their visits had been just lately placed on maintain.
“I’m actually tired,” he stated tearfully. “I can’t believe I have to fight to go see my daughter. How can somebody say to you ‘no, you can’t come in?’”
The cemetery’s operations and upkeep employees went on strike on Jan. 12, after being and not using a contract for greater than 4 years.
The cemetery stated that left them with no alternative however to shut the gates, as a result of they wouldn’t be capable to safely clear the cemetery’s 33 kilometers of roadways.
The strike additionally compelled the cemetery to halt in-ground burials.
Numerous households ready for his or her family members to be put to relaxation are determined for the labour dispute to come back to an finish, some telling Global News on Tuesday they need the federal government to intervene.
Michelle Setlakwe, MNA for Mont-Royal-Outremont says she sympathizes with households.
On Monday, she wrote a letter to Quebec’s labour minister, Jean Boulet, asking that he step in.
“I think he has to follow the file very closely, because as the days and the weeks are progressing, the situation is just getting worse,” she stated. “I’m encouraging him to use all the tools at his disposable to encourage the parties to negotiate and come to an agreement so that this work conflict comes to an end once and for all.”
Management and the union representing staff haven’t sat down for negotiations since Jan. 31.
“They have to sit at the negotiating table, work with the conciliators and find a solution and an agreement in principle as quickly as possible,” stated Boulet.
The union says they obtained a message from their conciliator on Wednesday morning saying a gathering between each events has been scheduled for March 28.
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