The strikes would have led to transport pandemonium in the capital (Picture: EPA)
Strikes that would have led to the London Underground network coming to a near-standstill for four days have been suspended, the RMT has announced.
The union said progress had been made in discussions with operator Transport for London (TfL), leading them to call off the walkouts that were due to take place from Monday to Thursday.
However, TfL said there will still be disruption tomorrow due to the last-minute nature of the intervention.
Workers on the network were planning to take industrial action on a rolling basis, meaning little to no Tube services would be run on those days.
RMT members voted in favour of action on December 19 after being offered a 5% pay increase by TfL.
In a tweet, London mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘Londoners and visitors to our city will no longer face several days of disruption.
‘This shows what can be achieved by engaging with trade unions and transport staff rather then working against them.’
A spokesperson for TfL said the suspension of the strike came after the mayor ‘was able to provide additional funds’ which meant the talks could be extended.
Many commuters across the city had already made plans to avoid the Tube next week (Picture: EPA)
They added: ‘This intervention from the Mayor has been discussed with the unions, and the RMT union has now suspended the planned strike action.
‘However, as the action has been suspended at this late stage, Londoners will still face disruption tomorrow and we advise all customers to check the TfL website or the TfL Go app for the latest travel information.
‘We will now meet with representatives of all the unions to agree on the best way for this funding to be used to resolve the current dispute. We will also seek to meet as soon as possible with the unions representing TfL staff.’
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RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis and mandate with significant further funding for a settlement being made available.
‘This significantly improved funding position means the scheduled strike action will be suspended with immediate effect and we look forward to getting into urgent negotiations with TfL in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute.’
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Transport for London warned that commuters will still face disruption tomorrow.