Quebec intervenes in flagging cemetery talks

The Quebec government is intervening in the lockout of gravediggers and maintenance workers at Montreal's historic Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery.

More than 125 workers at the cemetery, Canada's largest, have been locked out by management since May 16. They have been without a contract since 2003.

Labour Minister David Whissell said Tuesday the lockout is affecting too many grieving families, and he's giving the two sides a week to settle their differences.

"The two sides have [had] enough time to reach a negotiated agreement. This is why I'm giving them a week," Whissell said.

If they haven't reached an agreement by Labour Day both sides can choose an arbitrator who will decide their contract for them, he said.

If that doesn't work, Whissell said, the provincial government will settle the contract.

No bodies have been buried at the cemetery and there have been no cremations since the workers were locked out in May. Bodies are being kept in cold storage.

Families waiting to bury their relatives have launched a $6-million class-action lawsuit against the cemetery, saying more and more of the deceased are being locked in refrigeration tanks,and gravesites are going untended.

The lockout started after contract negotiations over work conditions and pension issues ended without a new agreement.

The cemetery is the final resting place for notables such as the late hockey legend Maurice Richard and former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa.