The City of London and CUPE Local 101 have agreed to a media blackout as talks continue in the inside workers' strike.

A joint statement released Friday afternoon indicated that bargaining talks were ongoing with the help of the provincial mediator.

CUPE Local 101 says "fruitful" discussions to end the now 40-day-old strike were happening at a "virtual" bargaining table.

That virtual table likely refers to emails being exchanged under the supervision of the mediator.

Discussions on Thursday were the longest in weeks, wrapping up for the night at 1:15 a.m. Friday, according to a short statement from the union.

It read in part, "While a tentative agreement has not been reached, we are moving closer toward a more common ground on the outstanding issues. Talks are still continuing to help bring both parties closer to a deal."

Provincially-appointed mediator Peter Simpson is said to have been part of the first real progress in weeks. The two sides met last Saturday for the first productive discussions in some time.

The strike by 750 city workers is now in its sixth week.

High on the list of disagreements are wages, changes to retirement plans for new employees, extended work hours and changes to job evaluations.