London: Eurostar workers have cancelled strikes scheduled for the next three days after the train operator made fresh proposals to address unsocial working hours on the service that links Britain with continental Europe.
Eurostar said despite the move it would still cancel a small number of trains as planned, with two services cancelled yesterday, four tomorrow and another two on Monday.
Labour union RMT said it had called off the strike action by train managers to hold further discussions on Eurostar’s new proposals.
“Talks will begin shortly and we hope this can be the basis of a satisfactory resolution to this dispute,” said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.
RMT, whose members are involved in ongoing disputes on other rail lines in England, organised the strike action in protest over the balance of unsocial working hours.
RMT had been due to go on strike over this weekend, and during the bank holiday weekend. Eurostar runs services between London and mainland Europe.
Workers of TSSA union had planned to strike on August 14 and 15, and August 28 and 29, but it has suspended strike action “following an agreement to review work rosters at St Pancras Station”.
Eurostar had made some modifications to its weekend timetable to ensure all passengers would “be able to travel”, with eight services cancelled. Eurostar said this represented just four per cent of its services between Friday and Monday.