The City of Mount Pearl says its “final” proposal has been rejected by the union representing striking municipal workers.

In a statement following a live briefing on Youtube Thursday night, the city stated “the union’s bargaining team has rejected the city’s offer and advised they will not take the offer to their membership for a vote.”

City Council will be holding a live briefing on the current labour disruption this evening at 7pm on our YouTube Channel here: https://t.co/rrW3ZGc8ym

Please visit https://t.co/oz3jUTfoFf for an official statement and more information related to the labour disruption.

— City of Mount Pearl (@Mount_Pearl) August 25, 2022

Talks had taken on a positive tone over the past week, as city and union negotiators continued to work on language around operations and service delivery.

“After these negotiations, the city felt both parties were closer to an agreement,” the statement says. “The city has listened to the concerns raised by the union and (on Wednesday) the city tabled a final proposal that takes many of their concerns into consideration.”

The statement went on to provide surprisingly specific details of its proposal, which includes 18 sick days for both existing and new employees; the introduction of two personal leave days within existing special leave allocations; a 9 per cent wage increase over four years; a $1,000 signing bonus for every employee; and the withdrawal of two outstanding proposals.

CUPE has yet to respond to the city’s statement.

The strike is nearing its eighth week.