Bodies are stacking up and families are forced to maintain their loved ones' plots as a three-week-old labour dispute continues at Canada's largest cemetery.

Nearly 200 bodies await burial at Montreal's Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery since talks between unionized workers and management ground to a halt in mid-May.

Out-of-control grass is overtaking tombstones and groundhog holes puncture the normally manicured grounds, causing families to complain they can't find their plots.

"They shouldn't allow this, people pay for this. They pay to keep this place going, do something," Tony Lasorsa told CTV Montreal on Thursday.

Most of the headstones have disappeared under the tall grass and lush weeds. Lasorsa now visits the cemetery with gardening shears in an attempt to maintain his loved one's plot.

Some families continue to grieve as their late relatives remain in cold storage at the morgue.

"Everything is at a standstill and we have no closure. Everybody is waiting," Eugene Labowka, who is waiting to bury his aunt, told CTV Montreal.

"This is an emotional time for most people who do have to come here. It's very depressing and we're all very unhappy," said Labowka.

A press release from management negotiator and spokesperson Guy Dufort acknowledged a backlog is developing.

"The management of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery would like to remind the public that burials, cremations and maintenance operations have been suspended until further notice," stated the release.

"It apologizes once again for any inconvenience caused by this unfortunate situation, which is beyond its control."

The cemetery is the largest in Canada and the third largest in North America, covering 130 hectares, according to the release.

Management says the union's demands include a minimum 36-week employment period for seasonal workers and the acquisition of years of prior service -- demands that would cost the cemetery $15 million.

"Its demands are utterly unreasonable in the context of the budget and would jeopardize the cemetery's financial health and continued operations," states Dufort in the release.

"We presented a proposal that included increases retroactive to January 1, 2004, improvements to the group insurance plan, a defined-benefit pension plan and a program of departure allowances for employees aged 60 and over, along with what represents a wage increase of more than 33 per cent over three years."

The Fabrique Notre-Dame-de-Montréal administers the cemetery. The workers were locked out when negotiations between the two parties collapsed.

Union president Daniel Maillet said the union is hoping high-ranking church officials will step in to settle the dispute.

No further negotiations are currently scheduled, but the union has planned a demonstration for Thursday afternoon.

With a report from CTV Montreal's Stephane Giroux