Metro strike called off ahead of new deal offer

A two-day strike planned by Metro crews has been called off after fresh talks in the dispute over pay and conditions.

The action by the RMT union along with Aslef was due to take place on 6 and 7 January after a 15% pay increase and changes to rotas were rejected.

Operator Nexus said the action had been called off after "productive talks" and it was going to offer a new deal to workers.

The RMT said it wanted to end the dispute but only with the right deal.

An overtime ban by workers has also been halted, Nexus said.

Metro services director, Chris Carson, said: "We had very productive talks in which both parties agreed to a compromise in an attempt to end this dispute."

The RMT said its members had not rejected the pay offer and the dispute was over terms and conditions.

The union said there was too much uncertainty with shift patterns and it wanted drivers to have more static rest days.

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