The provincial government and the teachers' union are returning to the bargaining table.

Premier Stephen McNeil asked the labour minister to request that bargaining teams representing the government and the teachers' union return to the table with a conciliation officer and "open minds and reasonable perspectives."

The two sides will meet on Saturday.

"Despite frustrations experienced by all parties, I ask that we come together in an attempt to resolve this impasse," McNeil wrote in a Dec. 13 letter to Labour Minister Kelly Regan.

"We owe it to our youth to show them that even in the hardest of times, people can be reasonable and constructive to settle differences."

NSTU 'hopeful'

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union says it agreed to return to the table after receiving a written request from McNeil.

"I'm hoping that the signal is that the government is willing to bargain," union president Liette Doucet told reporters.

She said the spectre of Bill 148, the controversial law that would impose a wage package on the province's public servants, had been restricting the collective bargaining process and "prevented meaningful negotiations from occurring."

Work-to-rule in 2nd week

The announcement comes just hours after provincial civil servants rejected a contract offer from the Nova Scotia government by a rate of 94 per cent.

Talks for a new contract for the province's 9,300 elementary and secondary school teachers broke off Nov. 25. Teachers overwhelmingly voted against the province's offers and started a work-to-rule job action Dec. 5.

Doucet wouldn't speculate about the impact work-to-rule had on the government's decision.

Knowing what members want

The NSTU has questioned the province's commitment to dealing with workplace concerns such as teachers' administrative workload. The province has said a number of those issues don't belong in negotiations or are simply too expensive to address all at once.

The premier has also questioned whether the union executive knows what its members want. Doucet was president when a second tentative agreement was recommended to members and resoundingly rejected.

But on Wednesday Doucet said she is confident the bargaining team knows what union members want.

"We've heard from members across the province, we've heard from our leadership and we do know what our membership is looking for."