Meetings will be held Thursday between the two sides in the Toronto transit dispute and a provincial mediator. 

The union walked away from the bargaining table on Monday night. It claims the TTC wasn't moving on the issue of injury compensation.

The intervention of the provincial mediator comes as no surprise. Observers say the move shows both sides want to restart talks if they can find common ground — and the mediator will try to bridge the gap.

Talks broke off on Monday night when negotiators from the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 walked away, saying the TTC refused to negotiate on the issue of injury compensation.
 
The union claims injuries are happening more often from abusive passengers. It wants drivers and operators who are off the job to be fully compensated. Right now, they are only paid a percentage of their salary.

"We believe that this is a moral issue," union president Bob Kinnear told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday. "This is a major deal-breaker."

Local 113 represents more than 9,000 TTC workers.

The TTC carries more than 1.5 million passengers every weekday.

The workers almost unanimously rejected the TTC's first offer two weeks ago, feeling that it didn't adequately address the safety issue, as well as other monetary concerns.

The union will be in a legal strike position as of April 1 and says it is considering all options at this point, including a work-to-rule campaign. That would mean service would continue, but there would be some noticeable changes.
 
Drivers may refuse to wear uniforms, stop collecting fares or stray from any set schedules.
 
Kinnear said if there is progress in the contract talks, they may push back the strike deadline to allow negotiations to continue.

The last time the TTC was affected by a work stoppage was in May 2006. The one-day illegal walkout caused chaos in the city. The commission said the shutdown cost the TTC about $3 million in lost revenue.

Meanwhile, a second TTC union, which represents 500 signal, electrical and communications workers, is conducting a strike vote. It says the TTC has yet to make a contract offer even though their current agreement expires next Tuesday.