Strikes which would have disrupted London Underground seriously from today until Thursday have been called off, after progress was made on peace talks between the RMT and Transport for London last night.

The walkouts had been called in the continuing dispute over conditions of employment.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ’I’m delighted that this week’s strikes have now been suspended. They would have caused huge disruption for Londoners and would have been a major blow to the capital’s businesses at the worst possible time. The week of action would have cost our hospitality industry £50 million alone.

‘This shows what can be achieved by engaging and working with trade unions and transport staff, rather than working against them. In contrast, the adversarial approach taken by ministers has lead to years of strikes across the country, whether on national rail, or in our health and education services – all exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.’

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.’

TfL warned that there could still be some disruption to Underground services this morning, because the strikes had been called off at the last minute.