The Unite union has agreed to attend mediation talks with conciliation service Acas next week to try to settle the ongoing bin strike in Birmingham.
It said talks with the city council broke up after 45 minutes on Wednesday without any progress.
The all-out strike by Unite members over plans to downgrade refuse workers, who could lose up to £6,000 a year each, started on 11 March.
The strike, now in its seventh week, led to a major incident being declared last month amid concerns for public health and the environment.
