Negotiators for the shuttered Toronto Zoo and more than 400 striking staff are going back to the bargaining table.

Christine McKenzie, president of CUPE Local 1600, confirmed Thursday that talks were slated to restart at 2 p.m.

She got a call inviting her back to the table Thursday morning, one week after zoo staff put up picket lines and management closed the city-owned attraction to the public.

Negotiations had broken down primarily over a two-decade-old contract guarantee that the attraction and animal research-and-breeding facility must employ a minimum of 150 permanent, full-time staff.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” what changed to restart talks, McKenzie said, noting she chatted about the logjam with Councillor Paul Ainslie, the zoo board chair, on Tuesday when striking zoo workers in Nathan Phillips Square put pressure on the city by at times drowning out an event featuring Mayor John Tory.

She said the union has not wavered in its assertion the provision must be in the new contract to ensure a stable, secure workforce and the 43-year-old zoo’s stature as a world-level, species-saving facility, and not simply an “amusement and attraction.”

“We are adamant about it and I hope the city will realize it's not a detriment for the city to keep” the provision, she said. “We have 186 full-time permanent staff now so a minimum 150 is not unaffordable for the city and it benefits everyone to have a world-class zoo.”

Asked how long the new round of mediator-assisted talks are expected to last, McKenzie said: “I have a feeling it could be a long night but I don't know.”

The zoo’s senior communications director also welcomed the resumption of talks.

“We look forward to getting back to the table this afternoon with the assistance of the provincially appointed mediator and remain hopeful that a fair and reasonable agreement can be reached that will be mutually beneficial to both parties,” Jennifer Tracey said.

Last Friday, in an email, she said: “We have been clear during bargaining and remain resolute that we will not entertain the union’s additional proposals that would essentially reinstate absolute job security for 150 permanent unionized employees regardless of the circumstances.

“This exceeds the level of job security possessed by most members of the public and other city employees.”

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Tracey also said the zoo will remain shut for the duration of the strike. The zoo cancelled school trips and events including the planned grand opening of an $18-million Wildlife Health Centre — a high-tech zoo hospital and laboratory with an atrium for public viewing.

Management veterinarians, nutritionists and keepers are taking good care of the animals, she said.

McKenzie has said the animals need the keepers who know them and take care of them daily, rather than a skeleton crew of managers who have not done hands-on work for years. Although it’s not peak season for zoo visitors, birthing season is kicking into high gear.

The zoo has struggled with sagging attendance in recent years, even with four-legged stars including baby pandas.