Changes made to the Saskatoon Transit union’s pension plan during last fall’s lockout will not be reversed, the Labour Relations Board has ruled.

The City of Saskatoon and the Amalgamated Transit Union — which represents the city’s bus drivers — met Friday before the province’s labour board to argue over the transit workers’ pension plan.

The city locked out bus drivers on Sept. 20 last year and, two days later while the lockout was ongoing, city council voted to change the union’s pension plan. The city said the changes, which included a 0.3 per cent increase to contributions, were necessary to avoid a $6.7-million deficit in the pension plan.

The union wanted those changes reversed, pointing to a labour board ruling in October that stated the city unlawfully locked out bus drivers.

The board ruled in the fall the city's lockout was unlawful because a complaint, regarding the discipline of a city bus driver, was outstanding when the lockout notice was issued. The board also stated changes the city made to the union's benefits, privileges and conditions of employment during the pending complaint were unlawful.

The city argued, while the pension changes were passed during the lockout, they were not set to take affect until Jan. 1, 2015.

The board's Friday ruling stated the pension changes would not be reversed but that union members would be entitled to their original pension for the period between June 3 and Oct. 3, 2014 — during a statutory freeze set in place by the pending labour complaint.

ATU lawyer Gary Bainbridge called the ruling a small victory for the union.

"I think the union is relatively happy that the board understood that the changes were unlawful," he said.

City solicitor Patricia Warwick was also happy.

"It was a good balancing of the interest of the parties — the interest of the City of Saskatoon and the interest of the union — and, yes, we're satisfied with the remedial order," she said.

No payments have been made under the new plan.

Transit workers have been without a contract since December 2012.

Bainbridge said there has been little discussion between the two sides on contracts since the lockout ended mid-October.

Other issues remain, including the city’s compensation of union members, he said.

The two sides are set to meet Feb. 5.