HALIFAX -- A contract impasse with medical residents drew criticism from Nova Scotia's premier, as Stephen McNeil refused to say definitively whether his government would legislate rather than go through arbitration.

The government issued a news release ahead of its weekly cabinet meeting on Thursday saying McNeil was disappointed that Maritime Resident Doctors, the association for medical residents, requested arbitration in wage talks.

The release said the move came two weeks ahead of a discussion of the government's wage proposal at the bargaining table.

McNeil later explained his unhappiness at the turn of events.

"They in essence sent a signal that we don't want to go to the bargaining table," said McNeil. "That's not meaningful collective bargaining, that's looking for arbitration off the top."

McNeil said the government wants to provide wage increases to workers, but that has to be done within guidelines established for public sector talks in September. That includes five-year deals with union suggestions for program savings that can be used for wage increases.

The premier was asked whether he would come up with legislation in order to avoid arbitration, a process he said would prove too costly.

"It's my hope that they will see the fact that they should come back to the table," McNeil said. He then repeated the statement when asked what would happen if the residents didn't return to bargaining.

But in a news release Maritime Resident Doctors said it viewed the request for arbitration as the inevitable end to a nearly two-year process.

The association said resident physicians have been without a contract since June 30, 2014, and added that negotiations had stalled since an exchange of offers in May.

"We have been working diligently with an expired contract for over a year in good faith that we would be able to negotiate fairly," said association president Dr. J.P. King. "Since that first conversation in May, we have been ready and willing to participate in discussions but have received responses of delays and meeting cancellations."

The release said the request for arbitration came after talks broke down earlier this week.

The association, which represents 550 resident physicians training at Dalhousie University who work at hospitals in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, said the province offered no wage increase over three years followed by an increase of one per cent in years four and five of a proposed deal.

It said a first-year resident in the Maritimes currently makes $60,795.

"The status of compensation speaks highly to the issue that residents are underpaid across the country," said King.