Rotherham’s Cemetery Grounds maintenance staff, including gravediggers are employed by Glendale Grounds Maintenance, a private contractor who delivers the crematoria service for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council under a sub-contract from Dignity Funeral Services. 

The workers delivering the Rotherham contract are all UNISON members and have voted resoundingly in favour of taking industrial action up to and including strike action, in their efforts to achieve fair pay.

Most of the workers involved are paid at or close to the national minimum wage, and have lost out significantly on pay since being transferred out of direct council employment over a decade ago.  

They are paid 10% less than they would be had the council retained their service provision in-house.  

Rotherham council is an accredited Real Living Wage employer, yet they do not currently insist that their contractors also meet this standard.

Please work with UNISON in asking RMBC:

To support the members to achieve fair pay and dignity in their work.

To commit to working with UNISON to pursue an insourcing agenda to protect other outsourced workers who may find themselves in a similar position.

 IF RMBC must outsource services:

To ensure the new contract matches the directly employed staff, and all contracted employers will adhere to RMBC / Trade Union partnership working arrangements.