Strikes planned by railway workers in a huge dispute over jobs, pay and conditions have been cancelled after a "promise of pay offer".
It was announced on Friday afternoon that members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), who were due to stage 24-hour walkouts on Saturday, next Monday and Wednesday, have secured "unconditional" talks. They also received a promise of a pay offer from train operating companies.
The union said the dispute remains "very much live" and it is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action with the result due on 15 November.
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RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The threat of strike action and our strongly supported industrial campaign has made the rail employers see sense. We have always wanted to secure a negotiated settlement and that is what we will continue to push for in this next phase of intensive talks.
"Our priority is our members, and we are working towards securing a deal on job security, a decent pay rise and good working conditions. Our re-ballot remains live and if we have to take strike action during the next six months to secure a deal, we will."
The with news breaking so late on Friday, many train operators will still have to run on a reduced timetables. Here's exactly how every train operator in Merseyside will be affected.
Merseyrail
Merseyrail have announced a partial reinstatement of their services following RMT suspending their strike action.
Jane English, Acting Managing Director at Merseyrail said: “Following the announcement today of the suspension of industrial action by Network Rail staff who are members of the RMT union, Merseyrail are now able to run more trains tomorrow.
“Saturday 5th November will see a 30-minute service in operation, with trains calling at all stations. Services will commence slightly later than originally planned at around 8am.
"Given the short notice provided of the industrial action being cancelled, it is not possible to run our normal timetable. We are working hard to restore a full timetable for the cancelled strike days on 7th and 9th November and will provide details of the arrangements for these days as soon as we can.”
"Customers should check the Merseyrail website and social channels prior to travel for the latest information."
Merseyrail also confirmed other than the later start, trains will run through until the normal end of service.
Avanti
Avanti have said they will still be operating an amended strike timetable on Saturday due to the strike action being called off at short notice. On November 5, 6, 7, and 9 customers should expect an existing timetable to be reduced significantly and those services that do run are expected to be very busy.
A spokesperson said: "We strongly advise you to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on 5, 6, 7, and 9 November. If your journey is essential, please plan ahead as your entire journey will likely be severely disrupted. The days after industrial action will also be affected.
"Customers with tickets dated 5 to 10 November can claim a full refund from their point of purchase – read more below. Any customers with existing tickets for travel from 5 to 10 November can use those tickets anytime between now and 12 November (excluding London Underground).
"To minimise the number of people disrupted while our amended timetables are finalised, we suspend sales of tickets for strike dates and the days after industrial action. Once each day's timetable is confirmed and we know which trains are running, some Advance fares will be back on sale. You can find a copy of the timetable for each strike day on our timetables page.
"Customers should continue to check our website, and those of other operators, for updates. We’re disappointed with this action which we believe is premature, and we are sorry for the inconvenience it will cause."
Northern
Northern's chief operating officer, Tricia Williams, said they welcomed the news the RMT had withdrawn the planned strike action, but said the reduced service would still be in place on Saturday and Monday.
She said: “We welcome the news that the RMT has withdrawn its planned strike action on Saturday 5th, Monday 7th and Wednesday 9th November. We can confirm that the much reduced service strike timetable will still run on Saturday and Monday as the reintroduction of a timetable is complex and can take several days to do.
“We continue to advise customers not travel on these days. We are working up a plan to run a fuller service on Wednesday - customers should visit our strike page for most up to date information.”
Transpennine Express
Transpennine Express will also run amended timetables on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (November 5, 6, 7 and 8) and will have some alterations to services.
A spokesperson said: "We are pleased to announce that the strike action by RMT has been suspended. Unfortunately, the very late notice of the suspension means we will have to continue to run amended timetables on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (5, 6, 7 and 8 November).
"On Saturday and Monday, we will only operate services between Huddersfield and York, and we continue to ask customers to plan ahead carefully and to only travel if journeys are absolutely essential on these dates. We are now working on the timetable for Wednesday 9 November and will provide details of the services we will be able to operate as soon as possible."
East Midlands Railway
East Midlands Railway have given the same advice to their customers following the "late notice" of strikes being cancelled.
A spokesperson said: "Strikes have been suspended for the 5, 7 and 9 November. Due to the late notice, we will still be running a reduced service on the 5 and 7 November. Details of the service on the 9 November will be available shortly.
"If you are planning to travel during this time it is important to check your journey as we will be operating a significantly reduced service on Saturday 5 and Monday 7 November. For services on Wednesday 9 November, please continue to check the EMR website, information in stations and social media for the latest advice and information.
"On the 5 and 7 November, only travel by rail if absolutely necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption. We also advise you to check the 6 and 8 November, as there will be a later start up and minor alterations throughout the day."
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