A tentative agreement between the Whitehorse General Hospital and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) has been reached.

The new contract now needs approval from the hospital's board of directors and the affected hospital staff.

Union negotiator James Bart, based out of Edmonton, told the Star this morning a deal has been reached which the parties "respectively can live with."

Bart said negotiations continued into the wee hours last night before finally wrapping up at approximately 1:30 a.m. today.

The new agreement could be ratified as early as Friday afternoon, said Bart.

"If we didn't think the membership would accept it, we wouldn't have signed it," said Bart.

There were a number of compromises included in the deal, but he couldn't speak to further details, he added. The details will be made available if the agreement is ratified.

The PIPSC, which represents about 150 Whitehorse hospital nurses, pharmacists, therapists and social workers, had previously voted "overwhelmingly" to resort to a strike if an agreement could not be reached.

Members of the PIPSC have demanded improved wages and working conditions.

The parties were ordered back to the negotiating table by federal Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

A hospital spokeswoman said this morning a statement would be issued. The Star had not received it prior to press time early this afternoon.