Newfoundland and Labrador’s government has reached a tentative four-year deal with hospital and community-based ambulance operators across the province.

"This agreement provides the necessary funding required to assist these operators in continuing to provide quality service delivery for rural Newfoundland and Labrador," Tom Marshall, minister of finance and president of the Treasury Board, said in a news release issued Wednesday evening.

No agreement has been reached with the approximately 30 privately owned ambulance operators across the province.

"This [agreement] will help community-based operators address recruitment and retention issues," Jerome Kennedy, minister of health and community services, said of the tentative deal between 22 community or hospital-based ambulance operators and the provincial government.

According to provincial government figures, every year community-based ambulance operators perform more than 3,000 patient transports and travel approximately 500,000 kilometres.

Details of the tentative deal were not included in the government’s news release.

The private operators pulled their ambulances off the road last Friday except for emergency calls. They restored full service earlier this week, after the province agreed to address some of the problems that are keeping the two sides from reaching a deal.

The companies say salaries and the government's right to cancel a contract without awarding compensation are the key issues.

Negotiations were expected to resume on Thursday.