MONCTON, N.B. – A special meeting of Moncton City Council lasted only a few minutes this afternoon.

Council voted unanimously to reject the latest offer from the union representing locked out Codiac Transpo employees.

Local union president George Turple says he’s again disappointed.

“We offered them 2.69 per cent a year on an eight-and-a-half year contract with a one-time bump at the end of the contract to bring us close to parity with our other city employees, and once again they’ve turned it down.”

Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc says the city is trying to be financially responsible to taxpayers.

“Some eight or nine months ago we put an offer on the table of 2.75 per cent per year.  The going wage rates for increases in the public sector in the last three years have ranged between 1.6 and 1.8 per cent.”

LeBlanc says the city is open to going back to the table tomorrow.

He says he wants to see the lockout end now.

Tranpo workers have been locked out since June.