Talks between Montreal's public transit union and the city's transit corporation will resume next week under the watch of a conciliator appointed by the provincial government.

Quebec Labour Minister David Whissell named Robert Dupuis to the labour dispute Wednesday with the goal of bringing both parties back to negotiations.

Mediation talks between the union and the Montreal Transit Commission broke off last week after both sides failed to find common ground for a new deal.

The MTC and the bus and metro drivers' union are at odds over salary provisions in a new collective agreement.

Dupuis' appointment came a day after the union voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

The union said it needed a strike mandate before appearing in front of the Essential Services Council, which was asked to rule on a series of pressure tactics used by drivers and ticket takers in recent weeks.

The MTC asked the council to rule on the union's tactics, which have included parking buses in the wrong garages and leaving metro stations unlocked at the end of the overnight run.

The union, affiliated to the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, said it has no choice but to flex its muscle to get its demands across.

The MTC refuses to meet the union's salary demands this year because of a wage freeze announced by the city of Montreal last year.

The union is asking for a two per cent raise.

The last transit strike in Montreal, in May, was short-lived. Quebec tabled back-to-work legislation to force striking maintenance workers back on the job just four days after they walked out.