Rotherham gravediggers announce strike action in pay dispute

The workers' union say the gravediggers want a 10% pay increase

Gravediggers in Rotherham have announced plans for up to nine days of strike action in a dispute over pay.

Unison said cemetery grounds maintenance staff had "lost out significantly" over the past decade due to the council outsourcing their work.

A union spokesperson said staff were seeking a 10% pay rise from employer Glendale Grounds Maintenance (GGM).

Rotherham Council leader Chris Read urged GGM to "agree a fair deal". The BBC has approached GGM for a comment.

Unison said the first strike was set to take place from 8 to 10 September.

Regional Organiser Dan Wood said: "These Unison members are seeking an increase of 10% on their basic pay, overtime and allowances.

"They are not asking for anything they do not deserve.

"Even a rise of this scale would barely be sufficient to re-establish pay parity, after a decade of lagging behind, with the lowest paid [Rotherham Council] employees."

'Fair deal'

Cemetery maintenance work in Rotherham is contracted out to a company called Dignity who then subcontract services to GGM, the union said.

Mr Wood said as a result of the arrangement gravediggers were being treated as "second-class citizens".

Mr Read said the council's contract with Dignity goes back 23 years and "far pre-dates the contractual requirements that we would build into how the council does business with its suppliers today".

He added: "I would urge Glendale's management to get round the table with trade union representatives and agree a fair deal for their employees."

Mark Williams, from Dignity has reassured grave owners and bereaved families that any strike action "will not impact on the services they receive".

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