OTTAWA — Negotiations between Canada Post and the union representing thousands of its workers were short-lived Friday as rotating strike action headed toward a new city, but both sides pressed toward a deal throughout the day.

The parties met at a downtown Ottawa hotel Friday morning, but left the brief negotiation session no closer to a solution to end their dispute, which has resulted in a rotating strike that started in Winnipeg Thursday night and is expected to hit Hamilton, Ont., this weekend.

Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said "there was not much in terms of progress" during the meeting between the parties, but said the corporation is aiming to strike a deal to benefit everybody without hampering the consumer.

"We're committed to talking any time," Hamilton said Friday afternoon. "We've got a team at the hotel that's ready to hammer out a deal, but it's got to be a deal . . . that ensures our employees are better off than they are today, but doesn't put us in a position where we will become a burden on the taxpayers or have to go to our customers for highly increased rates. Neither of those is an attractive option, so we need to sit down and negotiate something that makes sense," he said, noting that Canada Post volumes have decreased 17 per cent in the last five years.

The membership of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said it will continue with rotating strikes as negotiations with the Crown corporation continue. The union has also said it remains open to talks with Canada Post during the rotating strikes and the parties were expected to resume talks throughout Friday evening.

Employees from the Hamilton local will go on strike at 11:45 p.m. ET Friday, the union told a morning news conference in Ottawa. They are expected to stay off the job for 48 hours.

Mark Platt, president of CUPW local 548, said that pickets will go up at a mail processing plant in Stoney Creek, Ont., about 20 kilometres east of Hamilton.

The rotating strike at the facility will end at midnight Sunday, Platt said, noting that about 400 union members are involved. The local has a membership of about 1,400 people, but that also includes carriers and other staff that work only during the week.

Although the workers there will be back to work Monday, he said the flow of mail in Hamilton and surrounding areas will feel the effect of the labour action.

"The mail that would typically get delivered on Monday, there will only be a trickle of it," said Platt, adding that other unions in the area, as well as CUPW members from other cities, are expected to come out and support the line over the weekend. "It'll take into the week to actually get all that mail delivered."

At a Friday news conference, CUPW president Denis Lemelin said rotating strikes will continue to forge out a deal.

"We must put pressure on Canada Post," Lemelin said. "We think (a rotating strike) is the best way to proceed."