The union involved in the SIAST strike says it has a plan that would get students back in the classroom on Monday.

Management refuses to enter into mediation talks while the job action is taking place.

The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union says picket lines will come down for the weekend to allow for those talks to get underway.

The union says if things go well, picket lines will remain down until the mediator completes his report. That would allow classes to resume on Monday.

"The mediation report won't be binding," SGEU president Bob Bymoen said at a news conference in Regina on Thursday.  

"But we've got to trust that the mediator is neutral in this and is sorting through the issues and can provide recommendations that the parties can either agree to put into a tentative agreement or else the parties can reject and we can carry on."

About 2,000 instructors and support staff at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology have been on strike since Tuesday.