VANCOUVER - Talks are back on between the City of Vancouver and some of its 6,000 striking workers.
The city says its negotiators and leaders of CUPE local 15, which represents inside workers, have agreed to resume bargaining on Friday.
City spokesman Jerry Dobrovolny said in a news release the face-to-face meetings will be held at an undisclosed location.
"The parties have agreed to a media blackout with regard to the bargaining process and the issues on the table,'' he added.
At the same time, the union representing striking civic workers in the District of North Vancouver said it plans to resume talks and could be bargaining by next week.
The head of the union local representing outside workers, including Vancouver's garbage collectors, said Thursday he was waiting by the phone for a call from the employer to resume those negotiations.
"We haven't had a confirmation set,'' said CUPE local 1004 president Mike Jackson. "The employer has contacted us but we are in the process of of playing telephone tag.''
"Once they get one to the table, I would imagine that it won't be long before we are back to the table.''
The apparent softening of bargaining stances comes after the city of Richmond settled with its civic workers on a tentative, five-year deal.
Regional officials met Thursday and decided to instruct negotiators to consider a five-year term for proposed contracts.
"We are open to discussing a five-year term with the union locals and hope that this change in mandate will bring us closer to returning to negotiations as soon as possible,'' said Bob Long of the Greater Vancouver Regional District's Labour Relations Bureau.
The bureau bargains on behalf of 14-member municipalities in an effort to reach collective agreements for more than 15,000 employees.
The new developments also follow the first night of the annual Celebration of Lights fireworks show in Vancouver, in which spectators and volunteers helped managers pick up the trash from city beaches and streets.
