Yorkshire gravediggers to strike for nine days after rejecting pay offer

As a result of a continuous pay dispute cemetery staff in Rotherham, who are employed by a private contractor, will walk out on October 20, 21, 22, 28, 29 and November 4, 5, 11 and 12, UNISON announced.

UNISON, which is one of the UK’s largest trade unions, claimed the wage offer put forward by Glendale Grounds Maintenance was still below that paid to directly-employed council staff.

The offer would see workers paid 59p an hour less than their council-employed counterparts, which adds up to more than £1,100 per year.

UNISON wants Glendale workers to be paid £11.10 an hour (which is 20p more than the real living wage) and for this to be backdated to April 1, this year, as well as a commitment for wages to remain 20p above the real living wage when it is revised in April 2024.

In a statement, UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Dan Wood said: “Staff have made their feelings perfectly clear on the offer put forward by Glendale. Not a single person voted to accept the offer. This shows how strongly workers feel. They do a hugely important job, and deserve to be paid fairly.

“Staff don’t want to go on strike. It’s now up to Glendale to come up with an acceptable offer so the dispute can be resolved.”

UNISON Rotherham branch secretary Ruth Askwith said: “Workers have made it clear they won’t be treated less favourably than their council-employed counterparts. Glendale staff do really important work, ensuring people’s loved ones are laid to rest in a dignified manner. They care deeply about the work they do. They just want to be paid fairly for it.”

At a cabinet meeting earlier this week, Coun Michael Bennett-Sylvester asked the leader of Rotherham council whether should there be “disruption to services”, Dignity, the company that runs the East Herringthorpe Cemetery, would still face financial penalties.

Coun Chris Read, the leader of the council, said his expectation was that the contract “applies in full”. However, he couldn’t answer if there was any “contractual provision for industrial action”.

Coun Bennett-Sylvester then asked whether the council could bring the contract “in-house” and Coun Read said “there isn’t provision to allow reconsideration” of the contract. He added: “The cost of buying out of that contract would be absolutely astronomical.”