MINNEAPOLIS — A strike that has kept thousands of regular nurses from five Minnesota hospitals for five weeks could be coming to an end after the governor announced a tentative agreement early Tuesday between the nurses’ union and hospital operator Allina Health.

The deal “will allow (nurses) to resume the quality health care that Minnesotans need and deserve,” Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement after a 17-hour mediation session at his residence in St. Paul.

The 4,800 nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association have been on strike at five Allina Health hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul- area since Labor Day over issues including health insurance and workplace safety.

Rank-and-file association members are expected to vote on the deal Thursday. The nurses rejected a different tentative agreement last week.