A PLANNED strike by workers in hundreds of Crown Post Offices has been called off after a breakthrough in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and branch closures.
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) were due to walk out on Monday for the 13th time since Easter in a row over pay and the future of Crown offices - the larger branches usually sited on high streets.
The union said it had decided not to go ahead with the industrial action after Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells pledged to hold talks next week.
CWU official Andy Furey said the union was "pleased the Post Office is finally accepting responsibility for this dispute."
The union said staff in the country's 372 Crown offices have not had a pay rise since April 2011, and face an uncertain future because of plans to close or franchise more than 70 of the branches.
A Post Office spokesman said: "The Post Office and CWU teams met all day Tuesday and Wednesday this week to talk about our vision for the future of the Crown network. These talks have been constructive, which is welcome, and we will be continuing talks next week."
Unite said the strike by managers in Crown offices would go ahead on Monday as planned.
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