Government and BCTF continue negotiations until early hours of the morning

WATCH: Anne Drewa and Catherine Urquhart discuss the state of negotiations at 11 p.m. Monday

A marathon session of negotiation between the provincial government and the BC Teachers Federation continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning.

READ MORE: Tentative deal reached between BCTF and government

Both sides pushed to make a deal before mediator Vince Ready leaves town for a previously scheduled commitment.

The two sides began meeting at noon on Monday.

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The veteran negotiator has an 8 a.m. flight in Toronto for a mediation that will take two or three days.

The strike entered its third week on Monday and tensions were running high on both sides of the dispute.

READ MORE: B.C. teacher’s strike – The timeline

Talks picked up last Thursday, and have continued virtually non-stop at a Richmond hotel since then. Due to a media blackout, there are no details on how much either side has moved in the dispute.

“It’s really not that difficult to see how a deal gets done,” said Legislative Bureau Chief Keith Baldrey on Monday night.

“The government puts more money in the classroom, the union moves on wages and benefits, and also addresses the sticky issue of that $5000 signing bonus.”

Last week more than 99 per cent of teachers voted in favour of binding arbitration to end the school strike.