Montreal, July 10^th, 2023

To expedite the negotiations, the Minister proposed to the parties’ representatives that a dispute arbitrator be appointed within 48 hours to hear the parties and rule on the issues in dispute. This procedure would put an immediate end to the general strike by the two unions during the arbitration process and allow the Cemetery to resume operations in accordance with the established back-to-work protocols.

The Minister also asked the parties to confirm their agreement to his proposal within 48 hours so that the chief mediator-conciliator could continue working with the parties over the next two days to reach a new negotiated agreement that could then be ratified by the members of the two unions and the Fabrique Board.

“We are satisfied with our meeting with the Minister of Labour, during which we clearly expressed our openness to both parts of his proposal. We remain open and willing to work with the chief mediator-conciliator over the next few days. However, we made it clear that no negotiations can happen if malicious actions at Notre-Dame Basilica and the secondary picketing in front of directors’ homes continue,” says Michel St-Amour, volunteer director of the Fabrique. “If we can’t reach a satisfactory agreement within the timeframe proposed by the Minister, we believe that recourse to arbitration is the best way to settle any remaining disputes while allowing us to complete the clean-up and resume normal Cemetery operations as soon as possible”.