A series of planned strikes by railway workers in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions has been suspended - but services in the region will still be impacted this weekend.
Strikes have been called off at the 11th hour but rail companies in the West Midlands have warned that services on Saturday will not be as normal due to the lateness of the news breaking on Friday afternoon.
The RMT said it has secured"unconditional" talks on Network Rail and the promise of a pay offer from the train operating companies. "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. Tim Shoveller, Network Rail's chief negotiator, said:"It's welcome news that the RMT has called off its strikes but the very late notice means that services for tomorrow cannot be reinstated and will remain extremely limited, and while we, and our train company partners, will work without pause over the weekend, there will be limited ability to change the 'strike timetable' for Monday.
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said:"It is positive that the RMT leadership have stepped back from the brink and called off their strike action.
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