After less than two weeks on the picket line, instructors and librarians at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design are going back to work.

The strike at the Halifax university will be officially over as of noon today after the administration and the union that represents the workers agreed to go to mediation/arbitration.

In a news release, NSCAD said that in order to make up for lost time, classes need to resume as soon as possible. That will ensure graduation can take place on April 29, as originally planned.

The university's 95 instructors and librarians went on strike March 1.

Even though the school's faculty is going back to work it doesn't mean the union and the university's administration have worked out their differences.

Their outstanding issues will be sent to mediator and arbitrator William Kaplan of Toronto to settle.

Students were worried that the strike could endanger their last six weeks of schooling. (Paul Palmeter/CBC)

Some of the longstanding issues from previous negotiations included a call for a wage increase, a reduction in workload and more job security for part-time faculty.

The union has not had a contract since June 2018.

The mediation is expected to start by mid-June.

NSCAD said the process and scheduling of the mediation will be determined by Kaplan.

On Friday, 17 students from the master of fine arts program at NSCAD held a peaceful protest when they occupied the office of university president Dianne Taylor-Gearing.

The students said the strike was putting the defence of their thesis exhibitions in the final six weeks of the school year in jeopardy.

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