The Ports of Auckland and the Maritime Union have come out of the latest round of mediation, making little progress in the long-running dispute over a collective agreement.
The port company lifted its lockout last week and said it would let the staff return to work after making them redundant, so it could carry out its plans to contract out the workforce.
The Port is pleased with Wednesday's talks, saying progress was made on matters such as rostering and work allocation.
But the Maritime Union says it is dismayed the Port has returned to the bargaining table with nothing new to offer.
Both sides will meet again next week.
The striking Maritime Union members are expected to start returning to work at the Ports of Auckland from Thursday.
Ports of Auckland has said the company's right to contract out in a new collective agreement remains its bottom line.
Negotiations began almost eight months ago.
