About 420 workers at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, pictured, and the Canadian War Museum have been on strike since Sept. 21.About 420 workers at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, pictured, and the Canadian War Museum have been on strike since Sept. 21. (CBC)

Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum employees were scheduled to resume negotiations with management Friday in an effort to end a 2½ month strike.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corp., which runs the two museums, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union representing 420 employees at the Ottawa-area museums, were called back to the table by federal mediators, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada announced in a news release Thursday night.

"I am pleased that the parties are returning to the negotiating table," said Labour Minister Rona Ambrose in a statement. "Every effort is being made to assist them in reaching a settlement as soon as possible."

The employees, who have been without a contract since March, walked off the job on Sept. 21 over job security, wages and contracting out.

Since rejecting the museum's latest offer in late November, the union had been lobbying Ambrose to appoint an arbitrator to end the dispute. At the time, the museum corporation said it still wanted to pursue a negotiated settlement.