A mediator is stepping in to help the Vancouver Island Regional Library system and librarians represented by the B.C. General Employees Union reach a settlement.
“We reached out to the union and they accepted our proposal to return to mediated bargaining,” David Carson, spokesman for the 39-branch system, said in a statement Tuesday.
The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday evening.
“We see this as a positive sign that the two sides can once again move closer to an agreement. A resolution will only be found at the bargaining table and we are optimistic an agreement will surface now that discussions will recommence.”
The unionized librarians have been without a contract since December 2020 and the union has been staging rotating strikes in recent weeks. Wages are the main stumbling block.
The Sidney, Campbell River and Nanaimo Harbourfront regional library branches were behind picket lines Tuesday.
The Nanaimo Harbourfront branch was also picketed on Monday, along with the Creativity Commons and Nanaimo north branches.
The grand opening of the new Sooke library branch, originally set for Saturday, has been postponed because of the job action.
A new date will be announced.
cjwilson@timescolonist.com
