NO FUNERALS ON A FRIDAY

10:20am Wednesday 3rd September 2008

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SERVICES at Landican Cemetery could not take place last Friday because of a pay dispute between crematorium staff and the council.

Funeral directors across Wirral were told no slots would be available because of the wrangle over new working arrangements.

One director even had to rearrange a cremation planned for this Friday, despite mourners having made plans to travel from the Midlands.

A Landican source told the Globe that some services due to take place last Friday afternoon were either postponed or diverted to Blacon Cemetery in Cheshire because of the row over workers hours being cut under the new council “harmonisation and job evaluation” scheme.

Previously, staff at the crematorium say they had worked on Friday afternoons and through their lunchtimes on an overtime rate.

But their hours were reduced from 45 to a basic 36 which meant under the new scheme they were contracted not to work the extra hours as they had done for many years.

Even though their hours have been temporarily re-instated while in negotiation, until Tuesday no bookings were being taken for further cremations on Friday afternoons from October.

The crematorium source told the Globe: “The council decided to cancel Friday services.”

One funeral director said: “It’s the families I feel for.”

“The dispute came about as the crematorium is not a straight-forward nine to five job and the council refuses to see that.

“That’s why we have always worked through lunchtimes and over our contract hours as we have to work until we’ve got the job done.

“We said we won’t work if we’re not paid, but now we are being paid temporarily, they’ve told us we don’t have to work!”

The source added: “Friday is the busiest day of the week for crematorium staff and it is always the first slot to be booked as it means that it is easier for people to get time off work.

“We are public servants and we want the smooth running of the service.

“The last thing we want is unwarranted grief for families, but we also feel that the council do not fully realise just what this job entails.”

Another funeral director said it was still not clear whether services would be able to take place on Fridays in the future.

Speaking on Tuesday, the director told the Globe: “The latest information I have is that from next Friday we cannot book any funerals for Friday afternoons. We’re getting conflicting information.

“The staff at the crematorium always do an excellent job and they’ve been put in a terrible position.

“It’s the families I feel for. Funerals are obviously a distressing time for everyone concerned and the need for tact and discretion is paramount.”

Asked about the new working arrangements for the crematorium workers, a Wirral Council spokesman said in a statement: “One of the aspects of the recent harmonisation process was that some staff who were previously paid weekly would now be paid monthly. To support this change, the council took a number of steps to ensure staff were not out of pocket over the implementation period. We would like to reassure the public that council services are continuing as normal.”

The spokesman confirmed that services were unavailable last Friday afternoon due to “staffing issues”.

“Services are continuing to operate as usual while new working arrangements with staff are being agreed,” he added.