Some of the Taylor and Harewood families who rolled up their sleeves to bury their beloved Daphne in the midst of the strike.

by Melissa Wickham

IT IS any grieving family's worst nightmare – attending a loved one's funeral service only to find that the soil technicians have all gone on strike.

But the Taylor family of London Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, turned a grave situation into a memorable one last Tuesday after soil technicians and labourers at Westbury Cemetery downed their tools and went on strike over a number of grievances, one being a lack of appropriate boots for the wet season.

The family, including a number of relatives from overseas, was at the Abundant Life Assembly in Bank Hall, St Michael, around 9:30 a.m. mourning the passing of Daphne Idaliah Taylor, mother, sister and aunt, when they received word of the strike.

"The funeral director came to me and told me he had a little bit of bad news for me. I asked him what it was and he said the soil technicians at the cemetery were on strike. It hit me hard then.

"I said I don't think this is another day I would have to put my mum aside without her being rested," recalled one of Daphne's four sons, Dennis Taylor.

He added: "The director said he would go to the cemetery and find out the situation and return, which he did. He came back and told me he had good news and bad news. The good news, he said, was that the grave was already dug; the bad news was that my family and friends would have to cover it up."

Daphne, 83, died on June 25, 2006 but her family waited until her relatives came in from overseas before they finally laid her to rest.

One of Daphne's younger sisters, Ruth Bailey, also recalled her shock when she got wind of the strike.

"One of my nephews came and told me. I turned to him and asked: 'Oh Lord, how this happened? I tell him then all they would have to do is to take off their jackets and put down my sister because she was on the earth long enough," she said.

When the family arrived at Westbury Cemetery they saw the striking workers but didn't let their emotions get the best of them.

When the time came, every man who could carry a hoe or shovel started to use the tools abandoned by the soil technicians in the strike to cover the grave.

Their anger soon gave way to a sense of honour, knowing they were doing it for Daphne.

In a few minutes, she was resting peacefully in the same place where her mother, father and uncle were also laid to rest.

"She always said if anything happened to her she wants to go down in there," said Ruth.

Dennis said laying his mother to rest was a privilege.

"We saw covering my mum as an honour. It turned out pretty well after all. We were happy to do it.

"To be quite honest, I felt some sympathy for the soil technicians because if they were really working under those conditions without the proper shoes, I think that is sad. I don't think they should be working like that," he said.

The Taylors remembered Daphne as a mother to all, even those [other children] who grew up in the community.

"I call her my Mother Teresa," said one of her visiting nephews, Audley Harewood.