MONCTON,  NB–The two sides in the Codiac Transpo dispute will head back to the negotiating table this weekend.

Union Head George Turple stated this week that he was prepared to encourage union members to accept a 2.75 per cent wage increase over 5 years, in an effort to bring this dispute to an end.

City Manager Jacques Dube says that offer expired in April.

“We’re scheduled to go back to the table this Sunday night.  Council is not prepared to accept 2.75 per cent but certainly,  we’re at 2.3 and they’re at 2.75.  I believe this is a strategic opportunity to come to a conclusion and bring the buses back into service in Moncton.”

Dube says the other half of the negotiation is about the language of the contract.

He says, “We are working on our Plan B, which is looking at a temporary reduced service going forward that would include a contracted service on the major routes.    If we can’t come to a conclusion, we’ll be forced into a Plan B, but we would rather not go there.”

Riders have been without bus service for almost five 5 months.  The City locked out Codiac Transpo employees on June 27th.