Acadian Lines labour talks to resume Monday

The president of the union representing locked-out workers of the Acadian Lines bus service said Sunday a federal conciliator will try to get both sides of the contract dispute together on Monday.

Glen Carr, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 1229, added that he is prepared to go back to negotiations as soon as possible.

"Nobody feels good about it but the people we feel the worst for is the public because the public are the ones being harmed here — about Christmas time, moving parcels to loved ones, trying to get home for Christmas," he said.

About 60 drivers, mechanics, maintenance workers and customer service employees in New Brunswick and on P.E.I. have been locked out and on the picket line since Friday.

Acadian Lines took the action after the two sides failed to reach a new contract agreement and the union served its strike notice.

The union had voted 88 per cent in favour of rejecting a contract offer. At issue are wages and job security.

The union said Acadian Lines offered a one per cent annual wage increase and wants more flexibility assigning drivers to routes.

Christopher Legere, a union representative, said the tabled wage increase isn’t fair to employees.

The company said its New Brunswick operation is losing money, and that it may need to cut jobs or raise ticket prices.

While the biggest impact will be felt in New Brunswick and on Prince Edward Island, the dispute's impacts will also be felt in Nova Scotia and Quebec.