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Rail strikes called off by RMT union

The RMT has suspended strikes due to be held on March 30 and April 1
The RMT has suspended strikes due to be held on March 30 and April 1

The RMT has announced it is suspending planned strike action across two days next week.

Members of the union which work for rail operating companies, had planned to take industrial action on 30 March and 1 April but this has now been suspended after talks with rail firms.

It comes after the Rail Delivery Group, the body that is representing rail firms in negotiations, tabled a new offer today.

The RMT said after the offer was received it decided to halt future action so further talks could take place.

It comes in the week that RMT members voted overwhelmingly in support of a new pay deal offered by Network Rail, bringing an end to the long-running dispute.

The union revealed that more than three quarters of its Network Rail members had voted in support of the deal, which includes a 9.2 per cent salary increase for all staff and a 14.4 per cent uplift for the lowest-paid workers.

The dispute between the RMT and rail operating companies is one of the two remaining disputes on the railways, with Aslef, the union that represents train drivers, also in dispute with rail firms over pay.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "We welcome this positive step by the leadership of the RMT to call off their planned action on March 30 and April 1. This is great news for our customers and for our staff.

"We are now jointly focused on working constructively towards a settlement to this dispute, which will mean we can do what we have always wanted to do - give our people a pay rise and help secure the long-term future of the railway with rewarding careers for all those who work on it."