A man covers his mouth and nose while walking past a mountain of rotting garbage at a temporary dumpsite. The back-to-work protocol reached with outside workers addresses how the sites will be cleaned up. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

The final details of a tentative agreement have been ironed out and Toronto's striking outside workers will conduct a ratification vote on Thursday.

Officials with CUPE Local 416, which represents about 6,000 outside workers, announced early Thursday morning that a memorandum of agreement and a return-to-work protocol had been reached with the city — allowing a ratification vote to go ahead.

Results from the vote are expected Thursday evening.

A union official told The Canadian Press if the majority agrees to the new contract, workers could be back to work Friday — ahead of the city council ratification vote.

Toronto's striking 18,000 inside workers with Local 79 ratified four collective agreements in a vote on Wednesday.

CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson said the agreement will allow city workers to perform a major part in the cleanup needed following the strike that has lasted more than five weeks.

The strike began June 22, closing virtually all city services, including garbage collection, city-run daycares, swimming pools, summer day camps and the ferry service to the Toronto Islands.

Many of Toronto's parks are overflowing with rotting garbage at temporary dumpsites and cleaning up the mess is expected to be a major task.

'Gruelling' negotiations

"We understand that this long strike has been difficult for the public, as it has for our members," Ferguson said in a news release issued early Thursday morning. "Our early return to work and quick cleanup is one way we can thank Toronto residents for their patience."

Striking workers could be back to their jobs on Friday. (Mike Cassese/Reuters)Ferguson said the last two days had been "gruelling" but "necessary to ensure our members return to work with collective agreement protection."

Toronto Mayor David Miller said the back-to-work protocol and an agreement on how cleanup would proceed had been a roadblock in concluding the negotiations.

Though city-run daycares, pools and recreation programs could be back up and running quickly, Local 79 has said that its members will stay on the picket lines until Local 416 is able to ratify its tentative agreement.

"Our members look forward to getting to work, delivering services to the people of Toronto," said Local 79 president Anne Dembinski. "Local 79 is still finalizing the details of back-to-work arrangements and will not have any further comment at this time."

'Unacceptable' inside workers not back on job: Miller

Miller issued a statement late Wednesday saying Local 79's refusal to give workers permission to return to work after signing the new collective agreements was "unacceptable."

Toronto Mayor David Miller says it is unacceptable that inside workers who have ratified their collective agreements are not yet returning to their jobs. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)"Ratifying and signing the memoranda of agreement should mean the end of the strike and a return of city services," Miller said.

The mayor also defended the contents of the three-year contracts.

Negotiators kept salary and benefit increases to 5.6 per cent over the life of the contracts — well below the approximately 12 per cent rise the unions had been looking for, Miller said.

On the controversial issue of banked sick leave, Miller said the city negotiated an end to any future employees being able to save up unused sick days, which can total 18 days a year. Current employees will have the option of keeping the time they've accrued but new employees will not be able to accrue sick time as the benefit is "grandfathered."

With files from The Canadian Press