LONDON - A postal strike planned for later this week has been called off as union bosses consider a deal aimed at ending the long-running dispute.
The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said industrial action planned to take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday had been suspended in light of continuing discussions with Royal Mail.
Drivers, data entry workers and distribution centre employees had been poised to walk out on different days to cause the most disruption for the loss of only one day's pay.
Union executives are still considering whether to recommend a deal reached on Friday, aimed at resolving the dispute over pay, jobs and pensions.
The CWU is expected to say later on Tuesday whether it will accept a 6.9 percent pay rise over 18 months.
If it does, the agreement will be put to a vote of its 130,000 members, with a simple majority needed for approval.
Recent 48-hour stoppages have caused delays and disruption, particularly to firms dependent on mail order business, and last week left 60 million items of mail undelivered.
Wildcat strikes have continued to take place in some parts of Britain, and the dispute is estimated to have cost Royal Mail millions of pounds.
Royal Mail Chief Executive Adam Crozier has said the company desperately needs to modernise to compete and that staff should be more flexible. The union has called its proposals on working practices "slavery."
The company is fighting private competition from rivals after losing its 350-year monopoly on postal services last year.
