The Quebec government has ordered the Montreal Transit Commission and the union representing maintenance workers to settle their dispute by Friday.

Transit service during strike:
Bus and metro service provided from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Weekend bus and metro service from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Adapted transit service is still available. Commuter train service is still available and will run on regular schedule.

Quebec Labour Minister David Whissell announced the 48-hour deadline on Wednesday, saying the contract dispute must be settled to end a public transit strike that has debilitated Montreal's bus and metro network.

The labour minister said the two-day-old strike has generated economic and social costs that Montreal can't sustain.

"The message is very clear: we are giving a 48-hour delay to both parties to stop the strike and to continue, if it is necessary, the negotiations, later on."

The city's 2,200 public transit maintenance workers went on strike Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. ET after contract talks collapsed over wage increases and pension issues.

Public transit is still available during rush hours under Quebec's essential services law, but the strike has paralyzed the system in non-peak periods.

The union representing maintenance workers said it will respect the deadline, but called it a cop-out. 

"The government said, 'Don't worry, we're gonna fix the problem.' It's [cowardly] of them. Only cowards do that," said Denis Bonneau, a spokesman with the Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN), Quebec's largest labour federation.

Dumont urges back-to-work legislation

Whissell's announcement came after Quebec Opposition Leader Mario Dumont asked the government to use its legal muscle to force striking Montreal transit employees back to work.

Dumont said the strike is unacceptable and threatens to cripple the province's largest city.

"This strike is taking thousands hostage," he said on Tuesday at the national assembly. "I'm very disappointed that the premier of Quebec shows very little interest today."

The ADQ leader demanded that Premier Jean Charest consider back-to-work legislation if the strike drags on, and insisted on a deadline to resolve the conflict.

"How long is the government ready to accept that conflict to last? If I was responsible for that, I would make it clear today that it has to be short," Dumont told reporters.

Conciliator to meet with union, transit commission

A provincial conciliator will meet with union representatives and the Montreal transit commission this week to try to adhere to the government's deadline.

The work stoppage is affecting tens of thousands of people who rely on public transit to get around the city. On Wednesday morning, rush-hour commuters faced a second day of long lineups for metro cars and buses, which were even more packed than usual.

The Montreal Transit Commission has warned it may be a long strike.

Mayor Gérald Tremblay said the city and its transit agency will not yield to union demands for a raise this year.

With files from the Canadian Press